6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured
by WaiiKitsune
Summary: ...and 1 time their boss came back critical. All Guardians' chapters up. Bonus Reborn chapter up. COMPLETE. 10thGen fic.
1. First Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family.

**EDIT (09/01): **Fixed two minor plot errors and some grammar that was bugging me when I reread it at a later date.

* * *

**First Time**

**To become the blessed shower that settles conflict and washes away everything. **

**10****th**** Generation Rain Guardian: Yamamoto Takeshi**

Gokudera froze when he felt the vibration in his suit pants.

'_Dammit. I thought I told them I'm accompanying Jyuudaime to the Mafia Summit. They shouldn't call me…' _

Gokudera swallowed, suddenly feeling his stomach tighten uncomfortably.

'…_unless in case of emergency_…!'

The Storm Guardian swallowed and turned to the Vongola Decimo, who was already glancing at him in concern. Gokudera leaned in and murmured softly, "I need to take a call, Jyuudaime."

Tsuna frowned, but nodded.

Gokudera stood up and bowed, excusing himself out of the room. He pulled out his phone, seeing not a missed call, but rather a text message. It was from Ryohei.

'_Yamamoto injured. Needed surgery. Now stable. –SR'_

'_Y-Yamamoto's injured…?! He doesn't normally get injuries on his mission… He was supposed to be retrieving information, wasn't he?' _Gokudera frowned. '_Dammit. When I get back…!' _Gokudera swallowed as he turned back to the meeting room behind him. '_Should I tell Jyuudaime…? I think he was already suspicious… And if he finds out I kept this from him… Still, this summit is important…' _Gokudera paced around the hallway. _'…No. Jyuudaime will want to know this.' _

His mind made up, Gokudera returned to the meeting room, ignoring all the curious stares shot at him and approached his boss. Tsuna glanced at him inquisitively, concern lingering in his eyes. The Vongola Decimo knew of the arrangement made with the Family, of course; that they will contact Gokudera –who will be with him at all times– should the need arise.

Gokudera bent down and whispered, "…Yamamoto came back from his mission injured. Ryohei said he needed surgery but he is currently stable."

Tsuna's eyes widened.

"Your orders, Jyuudaime?"

"…Please get the car, Hayato. We leave immediately." Tsuna answered.

Gokudera nodded and left the meeting room once more.

Tsuna stood up then, and cleared his throat lightly. When the entire room's attention was gathered on him, Tsuna gave a polite bow and spoke, "My deepest apologies. I'm afraid a Family emergency came up and I have to leave immediately."

The Cavallone Decimo frowned, "Everything alright, Tsuna?"

Tsuna smiled, "Yes. But… I have to get back for this." Tsuna bowed again, "Please excuse us then." The Vongola Decimo glanced over to the side where, against the wall, a certain hitman stood, watching him carefully.

Reborn pushed himself off the wall and tilted his fedora in greeting before following Tsuna out of the room.

"Yamamoto's injured." Tsuna said simply, hastening his pace.

Reborn couldn't help the small frown that crossed his face. Like Gokudera, the first thought that entered his mind was that the swordsman doesn't usually get injured on missions. Tossing over a glance at his ex-student, Reborn jumped up onto Tsuna's shoulder and squeezed it briefly before reaching up to hold down his fedora to prevent it from flying off.

Tsuna nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise. While it is true that he and Reborn had progressed from a simple teacher-student relationship to a companion kind of relationship, the hitman still wasn't one to show such open gestures. Despite the whirlwind of emotions spinning wildly within him, Tsuna couldn't help the brief smile on his face as he continued down the hallway.

* * *

It didn't take them long to return to the Vongola estate.

The summit itself took place in Italy –something Tsuna was _very _thankful for at the moment– and with Gokudera practically breaking every traffic rule there is, it barely took thirty minutes to return home (when it took them nearly thrice the amount of time to reach the hotel).

Gokudera parked haphazardly at the front door, leaving the car there for any one of the servants to bring back to the garage.

Tsuna practically threw the doors open and ran through them, barely acknowledging the startled greetings of the various servants and Mafiosi. Gokudera and Reborn trailed closely behind, following the familiar route to the medic wing. The medics on standby directed the trio to the correct room before Tsuna could even open his mouth. Nodding in appreciation to the medics, Tsuna pushed the door of the private ward open without hesitation.

"Yo, Tsuna. You're back early."

Tsuna panted, trying to regain his breath, as his heightened senses tried to take in everything at one glance.

Yamamoto sat upright in the bed with his usual grin. His right arm was resting in a sling, but other than that, the Vongola Decimo couldn't see anymore _visible _injuries. There were the usual machines attached to him, monitoring his heart rates and some other vitals; and an IV dripped from a nearby stand.

On the edge of the bed, Lambo sat, constantly looking between Yamamoto and Tsuna. His forest green eyes were darkened in worry, and Tsuna could see the telltale sign of tears prickling his eyes. Chrome sat on the chair situated close to the sight of the bed. She stared firmly at Yamamoto, as if afraid that once she looked away, Yamamoto might just disappear. Her fear was clear, if her tight grip on her trident was any indication. Ryohei was standing on the opposite end of the room, leaning heavily against the wall with his arms folded. His eyebrows were furrowed, both in concern and slight annoyance. Hibari was nowhere to be found, but that wasn't surprising; the raven only left three days ago, this time heading to Russia to dig for more information.

Tsuna turned to Ryohei. "I can't see anything except that he most likely broke his arm. Ryo, you said Takeshi needed surgery. How injured is he?"

Yamamoto frowned. "I _told _you not to tell Tsuna…"

"Between you and Sawada, I'd rather take your wrath. Sorry, Yamamoto." Ryohei said with an apologetic grin. "Yamamoto's a little scratched up; just some shallow cuts and lacerations."

"But that wouldn't require surgery." Tsuna pointed out.

Ryohei brought up his hands. "Let me finished. He's also shot twice."

"_What?!_"

"T-Tsuna…! C-Calm down. _Please_!" Yamamoto winced.

Tsuna took in a deep breath to calm himself as suggested. As much as he felt his temper rising, he knew it wouldn't do well if he flared out now. Besides, his Family was not the one who he should lose his temper at. "Sorry, Ryo. Please continue."

Ryohei nodded. "Yamamoto was shot in his side and in his right thigh. We already did surgery for him to fix the damage, but he'll still need to be on strict bed rest for two weeks at the very least. Physical therapy is estimated to be a month, if not two."

Tsuna frowned. "Hayato."

Gokudera didn't even need to be asked. "Yamamoto was supposed to be retrieving information about the Puccetti Famiglia from the Giegue Famiglia."

"Takeshi?"

"When I got there, the Giegue Famiglia guys were nowhere to be found. I thought they were just a little late, so I lingered around for a bit. And suddenly, I have people shooting at me. I counted about two snipers and another three on the ground. Well, I fought back, but they had backup; about a dozen or two more. I called HQ for backup but one of the snipers got me in the side. That's when the Giegue Famiglia guys showed up and they helped me fight them. I still got shot in the leg though. I… think I passed out then." Yamamoto recounted.

Ryohei took over, "We sent a team over. The team reported that they found the two Giegue Famiglia people guarding Yamamoto while trying to stop the blood flow. The Giegue Famiglia people even escorted our people back. Reports have been written; all on your desk, Sawada."

Tsuna nodded as he digested the information.

Gokudera waited a bit before asking, "Your orders, Jyuudaime?"

"…Hayato, I want you to go down to Giegue Famiglia tomorrow to double-check Takeshi's statement. Also, ask if there's any reason why they showed up late. Take Chrome with you." Tsuna instructed. "Chrome, I need you to ascertain their credibility. Ryohei, take a team with you and head back there; see what else you can find. Anything you can will be helpful. Reborn, see what your connections can get you about the Puccetti Famiglia. Put your next mission on standby; this one takes priority."

"Tsuna-nii, what am I supposed to do?" Lambo asked.

"You have an important job to do." Tsuna smiled.

Lambo blinked; he was _sure _he wouldn't be doing anything again. As much as he is annoyed at not being treated the same as the other Guardians, the fifteen year old does understand that he _is _the youngest and there are a lot of things Tsuna didn't want him doing yet, Mafia or not.

"I need you to keep Takeshi accompanied." Tsuna said.

"Ehh? Keep Take-nii accompanied?" Lambo repeated bemusedly.

Tsuna nodded. "Well, you heard Ryo; Takeshi is going to be stuck here for at least two weeks. And –no offense, Takeshi– as patient as my dear Rain Guardian is, making him stay in bed for two weeks _will_ drive him crazy." Tsuna chuckled. "So, I need you to keep Takeshi accompany. Of course, I'll be here, but if I don't clear those nice piles of papers on my desk, Reborn over there _will _shoot me."

Reborn smirked.

"Okay!" Lambo nodded enthusiastically. He was happy to be able to do something, especially since that something was what he liked too –spending time with the older Guardians.

Tsuna smiled.

"Umm, Tsuna? What happened to the summit? I thought those usually took the whole day." Yamamoto frowned.

"Did you really expect me to stay there after hearing you're injured, Takeshi?" Tsuna asked incredulously.

"Well, _no_, but…" Yamamoto shifted uncomfortably. "It's just… this summit is the most important meeting of all. All the bosses of all the alliance Families show up in person, no matter where they are. And you're Vongola Decimo, the head of the Vongola Famiglia _and _the Alliance."

"With regards to that…"

Tsuna turned around, "D-Dino-nii…?"

"Yo." Dino grinned. "…Y-Yamamoto…? What happened to you?"

"Umm, mission didn't go well. I'll explain later." Yamamoto chuckled nervously. "Dino-san, what were you saying just now?"

"Oh. I managed to convince the other bosses to end the meeting after Tsuna left. We'll reconvene in two days; same place, same time." Dino grinned.

"Y-You did?" Gokudera gasped in shock.

Tsuna turned and hugged his surrogate older brother tightly. "Thank you, Dino-nii…"

"It was nothing." Dino smiled. "I knew something had happened the first time Gokudera left and the fact that you said _'Family emergency'_ pretty much confirmed it. It was easy convincing the other bosses; they themselves were pretty tired of the summit already."

"T-Thank you, Dino-san." Yamamoto smiled.

"Oh, come on. You guys are like my family too." Dino grinned.

"Even Kyouya?" Tsuna asked in amusement.

"I _still _have a hard time deciding on that." Dino groaned.

* * *

"_Ano_… Tsuna…?" Yamamoto called awkwardly.

"Hmm?"

"You _really _don't have to do this…" Yamamoto said. "I'll be fine on my own for a few hours…"

"It's nothing. It's not like I'm losing work hours." Tsuna replied absentmindedly. "…Actually, do I even have working hours? I swear, with this Family, I always feel like I'm working twenty-four-seven."

Yamamoto sighed, knowing it was just impossible to argue with the stubborn brunette. Still, he really couldn't believe _this _was actually happening.

Lambo was not there that morning since he still had school to attend (Tsuna was very adamant that the Lightning Guardian finish his mandatory education; Vongola/Bovino hitman-in-training or not). And with the other Guardians out on their respective tasks, Yamamoto was resigned to spend a whole morning alone until Lambo came back.

…Well, at least until Tsuna came in.

…Sporting a _large_ pile of paperwork.

The brunette greeted him cheerfully as he dumped the stack on papers in a nearby chair before pulling another one over, slumping right into it. Tsuna started chatting with Yamamoto ever since then, while somehow _still _doing his paperwork.

(Yamamoto wasn't surprised at Tsuna's ability to hold a conversation while still signing paper after paper, but a small part of his mind wondered if Tsuna was actually _reading _the document before signing.)

"Umm… Sorry about the damage?" Yamamoto offered.

Tsuna looked up and blinked, before he broke out laughing. "Quite honestly, we'll be fine as long as Kyouya and Mukuro –well, by relation, Chrome, actually– aren't around at the same time."

"Speaking of which, where did Hibari go this time?" Yamamoto asked.

"Russia." Tsuna answered. Seeing the look on Yamamoto's face, he chuckled, "Yes. I was pretty shocked too when he said that. I expected Reborn to have in contacts in Russia, but Kyouya… How far does his connections go?"

"…Well, forgive me if I say I don't want the answer to that." Yamomoto answered.

Tsuna laughed. "…Takeshi?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't have to feel guilty, you know."

"E-Ehh…?" Yamamoto blinked.

Tsuna sighed, "Takeshi, I'm here because I want to. Not because I didn't want to leave you alone; but because I spend more time with you. And what happened that day? It wasn't your fault either; and neither was it your lack of ability."

Yamamoto flinched then, and Tsuna knew he had hit the heart of the problem.

"Takeshi, you were fighting _alone _against three gunmen and two snipers. You specialize in close combat, but you had to go against long rangers. If _I _went alone against them, I doubt I would have gotten out unscathed too." Tsuna said. "And besides, they had backup, about a dozen or two, and you only had three people on your side. It was an unfair fight. You don't have to feel guilty about anything and _especially _not feel weak."

"T-Tsuna…" Yamamoto murmured. "I… I guess I was being pretty silly, huh."

"Yep." Tsuna answered. "And for that…" He brought up a fist and gently whacked the swordsman on the head. "Takeshi, you are _not _weak. I need you to understand that and believe that."

Yamamoto stared at Tsuna.

"Just because you lost one fight, it doesn't mean you're weak. As strong as we are, we're still _humans_, Takeshi. We are bound to have a down time every now and then." Tsuna said. "I mean, just look at me; I lose to Reborn and Kyouya all the time. It doesn't mean I'm weak, does it?"

"N-no. It doesn't." Yamamoto answered quietly. "…Sorry, Tsuna. I guess I was overthinking things again. You're right. Losing one battle doesn't mean we're weak. It just means we're not strong enough. I… I still lose to Squalo too, you know."

"And what do you do then?" Tsuna asked.

"Train more. Find new ways to improve myself. Then fight Squalo again." Yamamoto replied.

"See?" Tsuna smiled. "You don't have to worry, Takeshi. No matter what happens, I'll be here; _we'll all be here_. You know what's good about family?"

Yamamoto blinked at him.

"It's that they'll always be there to catch you when you fall."

Yamamoto smiled. "Thank you, Tsuna…"

Tsuna smiled. "You know, if you really do feel guilty about me staying here, there _is _something you can do."

"What is it?"

Tsuna reached over to his side and grabbed a small stack of paperwork, placing it in Yamamoto's lap. "You can help me with paperwork." Tsuna said, a completely neutral look on his face. "You told me –and _showed _me– you're ambidextrous, so I _know _you can write with your left hand."

…

…

…

"…You're joking with me, aren't you, Tsuna?"

Tsuna broke out into a grin, "Of course I am! As if I'll really let you do any paperwork while you're supposed to be resting." Tsuna said. "And even if you _did _agree, Ryohei will have my head!"

Yamamoto laughed.

Tsuna smiled.

'_Looks like Takeshi is going to be just fine. He's my Requiem Rain, after all.'_

* * *

A/N: Welcome, peeps, to my new project! I actually have no idea what inspired me to do this, but I think I like where this is going. This fic will consist of seven chapters for the seven Vongola Guardians; Sky, Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun, Cloud and Mist (not necessarily in that order, as you can see). It will center on the 10th Gen Guardians, but other related people will also pop in (e.g. Dino and Reborn in this chapter).

So, hope you peeps will stick around with me for this, and I hope you enjoyed reading this! As always, thanks for reading! Ciao Ciao~


	2. Second Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**EDIT (09/01):** Corrected some of the minor language errors that was bugging me when I reread this at a later date.

* * *

**Second Time**

**To draw damage to himself and away from the rest of the Famiglia, serving as a lightning rod. **

**10****th**** Generation Lightning Guardian: Lambo**

"Sawada! Behind you!"

Tsuna turned around at the call, just in time to see a Rain attack charging at him. The Vongola Decimo grunted; no matter how sharp his reflexes were, he _knew_ he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. He barely brought up his glove-covered hands to block the attack; the force of it throwing him to the ground. Tsuna growled lowly as he felt his arms slump down to his sides uselessly. The Sky flames in his body are already working to harmonize the Rain flames attacking his arms, but it wasn't fast enough.

Because in front of him, an enemy was already charging up a Lightning attack, one that will most likely –and quite literally– give him the shock of his life.

"No!"

Tsuna's eyes widened when a figure appeared in front of him. His hands were opened wide as he stood firmly in front of Tsuna, intending to shield the still incapable-of-moving Vongola Decimo from this next attack.

"Lambo! What are you doing? Get out of the way!"

"No! L-Lambo… Lambo-sama will protect Tsuna-nii!"

"Idiot! That attack is too strong! Even you'll get hurt, Lambo!" Tsuna yelled.

"L-Lambo-sama can d-do this!" Lambo wailed. "La-Lambo-sama… Lambo-sama will be nii-san and nee-san's lightning rod!"

His body was starting to tremble in fear, but he wouldn't back away. The other Guardians were getting frantic. They were each trying to get to the duo, but the sheer amount of enemies kept getting in their way.

"Lambo! No! Get away! You haven't perfected your _Elettrico Cuoio_; you'll be hurt!" Tsuna cursed at himself. His hands were starting to twitch, but it wasn't enough; he still couldn't get off the ground.

"_Carica Elettricai!" _

"Lambo_!_"

As he had predicted, the amount of the lightning coursing through Lambo's body was too much for the teen, who had yet to perfect his _Elettrico Cuoio _technique. Lambo had gritted his teeth, willing the lightning to simply pass through him while attempting to absorb some of the attack for himself. The pain was spreading through him, numbing his nerves bit by bit. Soon, it became too much for him and slowly, Lambo began to fall to the ground.

Tsuna felt all the blood drain from body. His voice erupted in a bloodcurdling scream.

"_**LAMBO!"**_

The scream was heard throughout the entire battlefield, stopping the Guardians and enemies alike in their paths.

Seeing their youngest Guardian –their youngest _brother_– laying almost unconscious on the ground, an uncontrollable rage roared from within each of the Guardians. All sense of reason left them and only a cold, dark fury remained.

"How… How dare you hurt Lambo…?" Gokudera growled. "You messed with the wrong Family, worthless idiots… I'll show you… what exactly it means to face _the furious Storm that never rest_! _Sistema C.A.I._: Cloud Tube!"

"I once… made a promise to _that person_… That I'll become the _blessed shower that washes away everything_…" Yamamoto murmured softly. "Today, I'll show you exactly why you should _never anger this blessed shower into a roaring rain_! _Shigure Soen Ryu, _Offensive Stance 8: _Shinotsuku Ame_!"

"Attacking the youngest of us all… You _cowards_!" Ryohei snarled. "You're the _misfortune that attacks our Famiglia_… and it's my mission _to destroy you with my body_! Take this, Maximum Ingram!"

"To hurt a defenseless little herbivore…" Hibari narrowed his eyes dangerously. "…I'll bite you all to death! Roll, Needle Sphere Form."

"Lambo-chan… Attacking Lambo-chan… That's… unforgivable…!" Chrome gripped her trident tightly, her lone visible eye darkened in anger. "You won't hurt our Family anymore… You will lose yourself in the _visions of deceit_, condemned to never see the _Famiglia's true form_! _Cortina Nebbia_!"

Tsuna pushed himself off the ground and ran towards his fallen Lightning Guardian. He was reaching out to the teen when Lambo called out.

"N-No…!"

"L-Lambo….?" Tsuna frowned.

"…there's… still electricity… running through… If… Tsuna-nii touches me now… Tsuna-nii will get hurt too…" Lambo murmured softly.

"Idiot… Why did you do that…?" Tsuna knelt down beside Lambo.

"Because… Lambo… Lambo wants to protect Tsuna-nii too…" Lambo smiled weakly. "D-Did… Lambo… do it…? Did… Lambo protect Tsuna-nii…?"

"Y-Yeah…" Tsuna replied, choking on his sobs. "Lambo did it… Lambo protected me…"

"_Ya… tta…_" Lambo grinned.

The teen's eyes slowly closed. If it weren't for Tsuna's still-functioning Hyper Intuition, the Vongola Decimo wouldn't have noticed that Lambo was still breathing, albeit with difficulties.

"L-Lambo…? Lambo!"

Tsuna reached out for Lambo again, only for said hand to be caught in mid-air gently by a familiar looking bandaged hand. A hand gently laid itself on Tsuna's shoulder, squeezing it to offer some comfort. Tsuna glanced over his shoulder to meet pained eyes of grey.

"Ryo-nii…"

"I'll take care of this, Sawada…" Ryohei said gently.

Yamamoto wordlessly stepped forward to pull Tsuna away with the help of Gokudera. Tsuna was thankfully for the help; he was certain, without the support of his two closest Guardians, he would have no strength left to stand.

While Ryohei got to looking over Lambo, Tsuna took the chance to glance around.

The Guardians hadn't held back at all, by the looks of it. The enemies littered the ground everywhere. Trees were uprooted and the ground was broken in many areas. Tsuna knew that almost all of the enemies are alive –no matter how out-of-control the Guardians are, they all knew Tsuna abhorred killing unless necessary, and they upheld that rule without exceptions– but some of the enemies are hurt to the point of death being a better choice than living. Gokudera's bombs were not something to joke about, and neither was Hibari's strength. Yamamoto had taken to using the back of his sword as per his personal rule, but Ryohei's fists were still strong enough to cause some internal damage at the very least. The enemies dealt with by Chrome were the least damaged physically, but their mental state was another thing altogether.

"Lambo's burnt all over." Ryohei announced.

"But he was hit by Lightning flames, right? They burn?" Yamamoto questioned.

"No, the higher the density of the flame, the closer it is to a real flame." Gokudera injected. "That bastard used a very high density Lightning flame, making it close to real lightning."

Ryohei nodded. "Thank goodness… Even though Lambo hadn't completed his _Elettrico Cuoio_, it was still enough to withstand most of those flames. If this was 5 year old Lambo…" Ryohei let the end of the sentence hang in the air. "…Anyway, Lambo has a mild first degree burn all over his body. This isn't dangerous, but the extent of his burn is still a big area for concern. For now, let's get him back to HQ and the medics can work on him."

"Lambo-chan… will be fine…?" Chrome asked quietly.

Ryohei gave a small smile, "He'll make a full recovery."

* * *

When Lambo woke up, it was in the disturbingly familiar Vongola estate medical wing. While trying to clear the heavy fog in his mind, Lambo slowly looked around.

…And the sleepiness plaguing him was gone instantaneously.

His family… were all in the room!

Tsuna was perched in a bedside chair, holding one of his hands under the covers while he slept on the edge of the bed with his free arm nestled under his head. On the other side, Chrome was sleep in another chair. Someone had covered Tsuna with his own cloak, and Chrome with a spare blanket. Near the back of the room, Gokudera and Yamamoto were seated, leaning into each other as they slept, while Ryohei lay flat on the ground next to them with his hands supporting his head. Even Hibari was in the room, sleeping in the corner closest to the door. Like Gokudera and Yamamoto, he slept while seated up against the wall with his arms folded and Hibird in napping in his hair as usual.

Lambo swallowed a gasp and a sob.

They were all there, in his private ward, waiting for him to wake up. They were even willing to sleep there, in all those awkward positions that they'll definitely be complaining about when the achehits them after they have woken, but…

…they were _all _there.

Even Hibari, who hates crowding the most, was there in that room.

Lambo could feel the tears prick at his eyes as he sniffled.

Tsuna jerked upright immediately, his close proximity and his Hyper Intuition-enhanced senses capturing the sound immediately. His eyes widened. "L-Lambo… Y-You're wake…!"

Tsuna's cry woke the remaining Guardians up within a moment. Chrome sat up straighter in her chair, while the remaining Guardians on the ground scrambled to get upright to take a look for themselves.

"He's… awake…!" Yamamoto gasped.

"Idiot…" Gokudera scolded half-heartedly. "That's what Jyuudaime said, isn't it?"

"Ryo!" Tsuna called as he moved out of the way.

Ryohei got the hint and went over to check on Lambo. "Well, his burns are healing well. Give him another two weeks or so and he'll heal completely." Ryohei said. "Lambo, do you feel any pain?"

"A little…" Lambo answered quietly.

"Okay. It's about time for you to get another dose of painkillers anyway. I'll go get them." Ryohei announced before he left the room.

Tsuna was back by his bedside in an instant. "Is that all, Lambo? If there's anything else, you _have _to tell Ryo, alright?"

Lambo nodded. "Umm…"

"We took care of those bastards. You got burned by all that amount of Lightning flames, but like Ryohei said, you'll make a complete recovery." Gokudera answered.

"Lambo-chan, are you really alright?" Chrome asked softly.

Lambo nodded again, glancing down at his lap. An awkward silence filled the room, broken only when Ryohei walked back into the room. However, as he did, Tsuna turned and left the room with a barely audible, "Excuse me."

Lambo's eyes snapped to the open door, hearing the fading footsteps of the Vongola Decimo. Tears welled up in his eyes as he sniffled.

Yamamoto stepped over to Lambo and patted him on the head gently. "Don't worry. Tsuna's not mad at you."

"B-But, Tsuna-nii…"

"Tsuna isn't mad at you." Yamamoto repeated gently. "He's just a little confused right now."

"I'll go after Jyuudaime." Gokudera announced.

"No… Let me go." Yamamoto smiled.

* * *

"You alright, Tsuna?"

The brunette had made it all the way back to his office in the opposite wing and was currently seated at his desk, his forehead pressing against his linked hands resting on his elbows on the desk. Tsuna was quiet for a while before he finally answered shakily, "Y-Yeah. Lambo…"

"Uhh, he _did _think you were mad, but I told him you weren't." Yamamoto answered.

"…Thanks, Takeshi." Tsuna murmured.

Yamamoto took a seat on the couch and let the silence spread between them. The Rain Guardian could hear the deep breaths Tsuna was taking to calm himself, and decided to give Tsuna time. In the meantime, he made himself comfortable on the couch and let the events run through his head again. When he felt that Tsuna was finally calm enough, Yamamoto spoke again.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Takeshi." Tsuna lifted his head and smiled at his Rain Guardian. "Sorry… It's just…"

"We spent so much time worrying about Lambo… the fact that he nearly died still hadn't sink in… right?" Yamamoto said softly.

Tsuna nodded. "…Takeshi…?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I did the right thing? In letting Lambo inherit the position of the 10th Vongola Lightning Guardian…?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Hmm." Yamamoto pondered over the question.

Tsuna couldn't help but smile. That was a reason why Yamamoto had always been somewhat closer to Tsuna than the other Guardians (much to Gokudera's protest). Unlike some of the others, Yamamoto never tried to tell Tsuna to stop thinking and just do things; he thought along with Tsuna. And not simply so; he didn't just think from his perspective, he also tried to think from Tsuna's perspective. Tsuna always thought, that if Yamamoto didn't hold the Rain element, Sky might suit him too.

"Well, I'm not sure if it's the right thing, per see." Yamamoto finally answered. "I mean, your view of what's right may be different from my perspective, but either way, I can't say if it's right. Neither can I say it's wrong." Yamamoto grinned. "But I do know two things. One, even though he was five, the 1st Vongola Lightning Guardian acknowledged Lambo of being able to embody the characteristic of the Lightning Guardian."

Tsuna thought it over. It was a valid point, although Tsuna was rather doubtful that Lampo agreed because Lambo really did impress him, or if it was the easier way out. Then again, he doubts the 1st Vongola Lightning Guardian would do something like that, given his utmost respect of his own boss, and also because Primo would never have let the issue slide.

"What's the second thing?"

"Well… Two… Maybe because he is the youngest –no, _because _he is the youngest, I always thought that Lambo had the greatest pride of being a Vongola Guardian out of the all of us." Yamamoto said.

Tsuna's eyes widened. "Lambo… was always trying to prove himself, isn't he?"

Yamamoto nodded. "Lambo is young. We can't help but be protective of him –you included, Tsuna. Because of that, we always try to make things easier for him, which in turned made him want to prove himself more."

"Even so… what he did… it was practically suicidal…!" Tsuna gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, but… Tsuna, we're your Guardians. More than that, we're your _family_. Just as you want to protect us, we want to protect you too. It doesn't matter that he is the youngest; it's still the same with Lambo. No, actually, it's even more so with Lambo. Of all the Guardians, Lambo grew up looking up to you as his older brother. Because of that, I think his desire to protect you exceeds our same desire to protect you." Yamamoto explained. "You are much more like a family to him than us, Tsuna. You're more a brother to him than us."

"…I think… I understand better now." Tsuna said slowly. "I've always been more protective of Lambo than you guys. In my mind, you guys are all capable of defending yourselves. I guess… my mind hasn't changed in the last few years."

"Ehh?" Yamamoto blinked in confusion.

"I just realized… The Lambo that is in my mind still exists as the five-year old one. The one who's always demanding that I play with him, or that I buy him grape candy and cake. I watched Lambo grow up, but my mind just didn't want to accept it." Tsuna gave a strained smile. "I guess.. A small part of me just didn't want to accept that Lambo is growing up."

"I can understand that." Yamamoto grinned. "Hard to imagine our small little Lambo is growing up, huh. Makes me feel kinda old too."

Tsuna chuckled. "I was going to say, imagine how Kyouya or Ryohei will feel, but I get the feeling that neither of them cares."

"Yeah… Hibari will probably bite us to death for even thinking that, and sempai will go work out more to keep his youth." Yamamoto nodded. He got up from the couch and stretched himself before turning to Tsuna. "Well? Shall we head back?"

Tsuna smiled and nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Yamamoto had managed to convince the remaining Guardians still in the room (Hibari left a long time ago) to go off for some food, leaving Tsuna alone with Lambo in the private ward.

Lambo had stared down at his lap the moment Tsuna came in and refused to look up since then.

Tsuna sighed and took up the chair next to the bed once more. "Lambo…"

Still no response.

Tsuna let out another sigh. "…Lambo, I'm sorry."

That netted him a response. Lambo snapped his head up and stared at Tsuna with wide eyes. "Wha-What…?"

"I'm sorry for leaving the room like that. I wasn't mad at you… I was mad at myself." Tsuna said softly. "I was mad at myself for letting myself get hit. I was mad at myself for letting you get hurt. Most of all, I was mad at myself… for still treating you as I did a few years ago."

"It wasn't Tsuna-nii's fault… Tsuna-nii told me to get out of the way, but I… I was so stubborn… and…" Lambo sniffled. "Tsuna-nii…? What did you mean when you said you treated me like you did a few years ago?"

Tsuna sighed softly. "Lambo, I will always be protective of you, no matter what happens. But that protectiveness should have let up a little as you grew up, yet it didn't. I… Subconsciously, I still treated you as I would have when you were five, Lambo. And for that, I'm sorry."

"T-Tsuna-nii…" Lambo swallowed. "Is Tsuna-nii… ever going to see me as a Guardian?"

Tsuna glanced up at him.

"Tsuna-nii said that Tsuna-nii will always be protective of Lambo, right? Does that mean… Tsuna-nii will never see Lambo as a Guardian?" Lambo asked softly.

"Lambo… You _are _my Guardian." Tsuna said firmly. "I am protective of everyone –including Kyouya, even if he doesn't want it. But I –_we're _more protective of you, because you are like our youngest brother."

Lambo frowned.

"There is something I have to admit." Tsuna said. "Back then, I didn't understand why Lampo acknowledged you as the true successor of the Vongola Lightning Ring. As far as I could tell, your test didn't seem to have anything to do with the mission of the Lightning Guardian. But now, I finally understand."

"But… I don't…" Lambo mumbled.

"Lambo, being a Guardian is not just about the physical aspect, it's also about the metaphorical characteristic. I don't need you to follow true to your mission literally; not yet." Tsuna said. "Lambo… You don't realize this, but you already fulfilled your mission in my eyes."

"E-Ehh?" Lambo blinked.

Tsuna sat back in his chair and smiled gently. "Taking care of this huge Family isn't an easy thing to do, you know. It gets so stressful and sometimes, I just want to give up. I know the others think of this too. But you, Lambo, you are always there to remind us of what's important. Without even knowing it, you make us forget all about our stresses and worries, as though drawing away all the damages. Because of you, Lambo, I can go on. _We _can go on."

"T-Tsuna-nii…" Lambo sniffled.

"Did you know something, Lambo? No one asked Kyouya to stay, you know?" Tsuna smiled. "He stayed here without anyone asking. Granted, he stuck to one corner of the room by himself, but he stayed willingly nevertheless. I thought Hayato was going to have a heart attack." Tsuna chuckled.

"T-Tsuna-nii!" Lambo wailed as he lunged at Tsuna, burying himself in the brunette's embrace and sobbing harshly.

"You're so young; I just can't bare to send you out like I do with the others…" Tsuna murmured softly as he stroked the teen's hair. "…I'm proud of you, Lambo. Don't ever forget that."

'_You are the Lightning Guardian of Vongola, Lambo. You have already become the lightning rod for the family. You are our pride.'_

* * *

A/N: The ending was a little awkward, because I didn't know how to end it. I always thought that Lambo might be a little insecure because I can really imagine Tsuna being really protective of him because he's the youngest. On a related note, overprotective!Guardians are awesome.

Because this is supposed to take place in canon time, between present and TYL, I didn't want to include the Vongola Box Animals. Those included are the ones used by the TYL selfs in the TYL arc. We do know that they use DWF to attack, so they're used here.

Thanks, peeps, for all the reviews, favs and follows! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Ciao Ciao~


	3. Third Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**EDIT (09/01): **Edited some minor grammar errors that bugged me when I reread this at a later date.

* * *

**Third Time**

**To be the aloof, drifting Cloud that protects the Family from an independent standpoint, and whom nothing can ever bind.**

**10****th**** Vongola Cloud Guardian: Hibari Kyouya**

"Well, well. If it isn't my favorite customer!"

Tsuna hid an amused grin, "I could have sworn I heard you said that to someone else before, Ressi."

"Must be your ears playing games with ya laddie." Ressi grinned.

Tsuna shook his head as he took a seat at the bar. He snuck a glance around from behind his hoodie, noting that the crowd was slightly lesser than usual. With a relieved sigh, Tsuna shifted the hoodie covering his head, and shielding his face mostly from view. The Vongola Decimo turned back to the counter, where Ressi awaited.

"So what can this Ressi do for you today, Renato?" Ressi asked.

"What's the special?" Tsuna questioned.

"The Orange-Blue Lagoon is still hot, but we have a new special: Marshmallow Surprise!" Ressi announced enthusiastically.

If Tsuna were drinking anything at the moment, he was sure he would have choked. "M-Marshmallow Surprise?! You own a _bar_, Ressi, not a dessert shop!"

"But it's selling." Ressi replied.

"…How fast?" Tsuna asked.

"Well, still can't beat our Orange-Blue Lagoon, but it's getting popular." Ressi answered. "Of course, this is only our branch."

"Either way, Orange-Blue Lagoon has to be careful, huh." Tsuna murmured.

"Will you be drinking today?" Ressi asked. "It's on the house!"

"It's always on the house for me, isn't it?" Tsuna chuckled.

"But of course! You are our best customer!" Ressi laughed. "Your order, Young Master?"

"Don't call me that." Tsuna sighed. He waved a hand at him, "Surprise me. Nothing too strong; I still need to drive home."

"Snuck out again, Renato?" Ressi tsked.

Tsuna grinned. Ressi shook his head in exasperation before turning to prepare Tsuna's drink. The Vongola Decimo relaxed in his seat.

The bar he was at was located in one of the less populated areas of the town. Although smaller than regular bars, it was by far one of the better choices if one wanted a quick drink. In actuality, the public area was slightly smaller in order to make room for one or two private rooms at the back, available for use only if you knew the bar owner, Ressi. Many locals stumble across this bar without knowing that this bar was frequented by the Mafia and even the Mafiosi who frequented never did know that Ressi has a good ear for information and is one of the Vongola Decimo's favorite informants.

(Of course, the fact that Ressi often offers Tsuna free drinks on the house had _nothing _to do with it. At all.)

Tsuna's senses perked up when the chime of the door bell rang, signaling the entrance of new customers.

"Thank goodness we got out of there…"

"That was so scary. If it weren't for that man…"

"But he's alone against so many people, is he going to be alright?"

"He looks pretty strong."

"You think they're from the Mafia? Italy's pretty famous for those, right?"

Tsuna frowned. His Hyper Intuition was ringing warning bells in his mind, and he was not one to ignore the signals. Tsuna tilted his head over and glanced at the duo. A look told him that they were tourists, and by the looks of it, they just had a run-in with a Mafia scuffle. The tourists chose to sit at the bar counter a few seats down from where Tsuna was.

"Here." Ressi called.

Tsuna turned back but continued to listen to the conversation. Ressi arched an eyebrow but didn't interrupt Tsuna.

"He didn't look Italian though. That guy."

"Yeah. But he was wearing a suit. And… what was he holding?"

"Looks like tonfas…"

Tsuna froze.

"Who wields something like that in this day? And… in Italy too."

"Must be the Mafia."

"Thankfully, those people in black uniform didn't see us."

Tsuna got up from his seat immediately. "Sorry, just got note of an emergency." He told Ressi.

The bartender nodded, "Be careful, Renato."

"Are you kidding? Careful is my middle name!" Tsuna shot Ressi a grin before turning and running out of the bar.

Tsuna ducked into the nearest alleyway as his mind ran through the list of nearest open areas that were quiet at night or abandoned altogether –suitable for confrontations by the Mafia. There were a few that came to mind, and nothing that eliminated any of them. _In hindsight_, Tsuna thought, _I should have asked those tourists where they came from… _

With a sigh, Tsuna stood still and took in a deep breath, calming himself completely. With himself completely relaxed, Tsuna focused all his senses and expanded his Hyper Intuition to the maximum at one go.

_Thank Fon-san for tutoring me… _

Tsuna had once gone through training with all the Arcobaleno, each teaching him a different aspect of combat. Fon's training was one that Tsuna enjoyed the most; the Storm Arcobaleno taught him what he never thought was possible: relaxing in battles. Once relaxed, Tsuna could then fully utilise all his senses, along with his Hyper Intuition. That level of focus was powerful enough to even break him out of Mukuro's strongest illusions at times. Still, Tsuna had decided not to use it too often, as it was rather exhausting, not to mention focusing his Hyper Intuition to the maximum causes him to be hypersensitive, which may sometimes backfire on himself.

"_There!_" Tsuna snapped his eyes open and began to run once more. "It _has _to be Kyouya… There's no one else that wears a suit _and _uses tonfas… Dammit, Kyouya…! Don't do something stupid…!"

* * *

Hibari Kyouya was _not _having a good day.

He had just arrived back at the Milan Malpensa Airport that evening, and was about to head back to his private apartment in the city –he was not about to stay with the crowding herbivores unless _absolutely _necessary; or unless the omnivore ordered him to– when he stumbled across an injured sparrow in an empty park.

The Tenth Cloud Guardian had scarcely stepped into the park when he was ambushed by men in black uniforms.

Hibari growled in irritation as he pulled out the box holding his tonfas. With a harsh glare at his brainless assailants, Hibari pulled out his flame-covered tonfas and began his own attack. He had, along the way, scooped up the injured sparrow and set it gently on his head. The assailants were getting increasingly annoying when he caught note of a familiar footstep nearing them.

"Kyouya!"

Hibari was momentarily surprised before he recalled the bar that the omnivore frequented was rather close by.

The raven turned to snap at the omnivore when a disturbingly familiar scent floated in the air…

–_**Gunpowder**_.

It didn't take long for him to find the source.

One of the herbivores, startled by the omnivore's appearance, pulled out an unfamiliar weapon. Hibari effortlessly deduced it to be a Storm type bomb.

Before Hibari even knew what he was doing, he was already clearing a path towards the omnivore and pulling him down to the ground just as the bomb exploded. The force of the impact sent them into the air, and somehow, Hibari managed to raise a hand to ensure that the already-injured sparrow did not fly off. They skidded on the ground until the omnivore slammed against a tree, stopping them from moving further.

"K-Kyouya!"

"Tsunayoshi…" Hibari hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"That doesn't matter!" Tsuna bit out. "Why did you do that…?"

"…Who knows?" Hibari smirked.

With a pained grunt, Hibari pushed himself off the ground and slowly strode over to retrieve his tonfas.

"Kyouya! You can't be thinking of fighting in that condition!" Tsuna called out after him, already pulling on his woolen mittens.

Hibari ignored him and smirked at the shaking assailants. "I'll bite you all to death!"

"Stupid, annoying Kyouya…" Tsuna growled in annoyance as he slipped into his Hyper Dying Will form. "Ambushing my Family... I'll show you why you don't mess with me!"

With the duo working together –much to Hibari's chagrin– the assailants were taken out rather easily. Tsuna didn't waste any time in going to check over his Cloud Guardian. From his somewhat limited medical knowledge, almost the entire of Hibari's back was burned from the bomb, and his right arm (that was wrapped around Tsuna) was scraped badly.

"Kyouya, we need to get you looked over." Tsuna said.

Hibari barely spared him a glance before turning and walking away, ignoring Tsuna's calls of his name.

Tsuna scowled. His Cloud Guardian's stubbornness was _really _getting to him. He caught up with the raven easily and with a murmured apology, Tsuna struck the Cloud Guardian on the back of his skull, hard enough to knock him out but not enough to cause significant damage. Hibari slumped forward with a still-audible growl. The Vongola Decimo resisted the urge to roll his eyes before catching Hibari effortlessly, pulling one of Hibari's arms around his own shoulder and supporting the unconscious raven with his free arm.

Tsuna stared down at them, wanting very much to smack himself at the moment.

"Okay, so maybe knocking out Kyouya wasn't a good idea. How the hell am I supposed to get him back now…?"

* * *

Hibari found himself back at his private apartment when he woke up. As expected, the scrapes on his arms were already healed and the burns were already medicated and bandaged, and he was also changed into his usual black _kinagashi_.

The door to his room slipped opened, and his loyal second-in-command stepped in. "Kyou-san. Welcome back."

"Tetsu." Hibari greeted, getting off the futon.

He stepped outside wordlessly, Kusakabe trailing closely behind him. Stopping at the living space, he glanced at the sleeping figure on the ground, covered with a blanket someone obviously put on him.

"Sawada-san brought you back yesterday. He insisted on staying until you woke, and fell asleep there." Kusakabe helpfully explained.

At the sound of someone speaking, Tsuna immediately shot upright and turned to the source of the voices. "Oh! Kyouya! You're awake!" Tsuna smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'll… take that as a fine…" Tsuna mumbled. "Kusakabe-san, thank you for letting me in yesterday night. And, umm, sorry for shocking you."

"It's fine, Sawada-san." Kusakabe answered politely. "Thank you for bringing Kyou-san back."

Tsuna smiled sheepishly as Hibari glared at him.

"I shall go make some tea." Kusakabe announced, excusing himself.

Tsuna swallowed as Hibari sat down on the ground before him. The Vongola Decimo glanced around the room in a futile attempt to escape his Cloud Guardian's glare.

The fact that Hibari had bought a private apartment in the city struck Tsuna as an irony. After all, the city was more crowded than the Vongola estate. Still, Tsuna was surprised Hibari even informed him of the location in the first place (the other Guardians know nothing about it, apparently, except for Ryohei –how the Sun Guardian found out, Tsuna never knew) and the brunette was quite simply amazed at the remodeling. The Cloud Guardian, an avid lover of Japan, had converted the modern apartment into a Japanese styled one. The apartment features the traditional _tatami_ flooring, _shoji _doors and _fusuma _partitions. There were still a bit of modern appliances around the apartment, but effort has been put it to make the apartment as traditional as possible.

To be honest, this is the first time Tsuna had visited Hibari's private apartment, despite having known of it since Hibari had bought it. He knew his Cloud Guardian respected and treasured privacy and in return, Tsuna promised himself that he would never intrude into Hibari's home unless he was invited personally, or if it was necessary –like last night.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Y-Yes?" Tsuna cringed.

"What were you doing there." It wasn't a question.

"Visiting Ressi." Tsuna sighed. "The Marshmallow empire is growing, it seems."

"That doesn't explain why you were _there_." Hibari replied.

"Well… Apparently, someone –well, _two _someones, really– saw you and they were talking about it when they entered the bar. It sounded as though there were a lot of them, and I was a little… worried." Tsuna answered quietly. "…I'm sorry, Kyouya. If I hadn't been there…"

Hibari sighed softly.

Tsuna glanced up at him with a confused stare.

Kusakabe returned with tea and, with a quick glance at the duo, declared that he was leaving to stock up on the kitchen as well as buy back breakfast before quickly leaving the apartment.

"…Thank you, for saving me, Kyouya." Tsuna said softly.

Hibari closed his eyes, "It's the less troublesome option, compared to the alternative."

Tsuna smiled knowingly. "Oh! That's right!" Tsuna got up and dashed into one of the rooms in the apartment.

Hibari watched him carefully as Tsuna got back out with something cupped within his hands. Tsuna smiled at him expectantly and Hibari reluctantly held out his hands. Tsuna grinned as he gently placed the little something in his hand.

Hibari's eyebrow arched ever so slightly.

It was the injured sparrow he found in the park yesterday. As it was, the sparrow had hurt one of its wings and had crash-landed on the ground. The wing was now carefully bandaged with a support and it chirped happily in Hibari's hands.

"Kusakabe-san's really amazing. He took care of your wounds _and _the little sparrow's." Tsuna smiled as he sat back down. "You looked pretty worried about the sparrow yesterday, so I brought it back along with you. Hope you don't mind, Kyouya."

Hibari shook his head lightly and spoke, "Open the window behind you."

Tsuna blinked, but did as told.

It took only a minute or so for Hibird to fly in, landing right beside the sparrow, which Hibari had set on the ground. The two small birds began chirping at each other, inducing a small, barely visible smile on Hibari's face –which Tsuna honestly wouldn't have seen if not for his Hyper Intuition.

"Kyouya's really good with animals, huh." Tsuna smiled. "Umm, it's kind of late to say this, but… Welcome back, Kyouya. I hope you had a nice trip."

Hibari gave a nod in acknowledgement.

"Your report can wait. I want you to recover first." Tsuna continued. "And _please_, don't even _think_ of travelling until your back is completely healed."

Hibari sighed. "Tsunayoshi…"

"If you say I worry too much, I'm more than willing to hit you in the back." Tsuna huffed. "_Ne_, Kyouya… I heard a pretty interesting rumor recently."

Hibari arched an eyebrow.

"Apparently, the Mafia has a new nickname for you." Tsuna smiled, "…Vongola Decimo's Strongest Guardian."

"Annoying." Hibari huffed.

"It's a sign of respect. For your unbeaten record, supposedly." Tsuna replied. "Well, other than the lack of creativity, I agree with them."

"Tsunayoshi…" Hibari called sternly.

"I'm not saying that to flatter you, Kyouya." Tsuna's eyes darkened in seriousness. "I mean it." Tsuna took in a deep breath and slowly released it. "Kyouya… Out of all my Guardians, you are the only one I can't imagine losing at all. No matter what happens, you are always there to save us; just like the clouds that linger in the Sky. The Sky is vast and wide… There is never a cloudless day. Even if you're the most unpredictable one, I can always count on you to watch our backs." Tsuna smiled, "Thank you, Kyouya."

Hibari stared at him with calculating eyes, as if analyzing the truth of his words.

Deep down, the Cloud Guardian knew there was no reason to do so; despite growing into the Mafia boss he is today, Sawada Tsunayoshi still retained his air of innocence –he still looked at enemies with benevolence eyes, while still not letting nativity weaken him. He treated all of his Guardians, himself included, with the same respect; not like subordinates, but true family.

Hibari let the side of his lips lift ever so slightly; crowding around with the herbivores may not be too bad, if the omnivore was around to keep things interesting.

'_Because he is the aloof, drifting Cloud, whom nothing can ever bind. Not even the great Skies would think of trying to chain him. He is intangible yet perceptible. He is the only one who is always there, watching from above.'_

* * *

A/N: If you think about it, there really isn't a cloudless day, is there? I mean, there may be no clouds where you are, but somewhere out there, in that same sky, the clouds are there. I always thought that the Sky, Rain and Clouds are the three Guardians that really fit their descriptions and missions.

Well, sorry for taking so long peeps! As I complained to ikebukurolove, this chapter was slightly harder because I was trying to find a way to hurt Hibari (with the exception of that time with Mukuro, have you _seen _this guy getting even a _scratch_?!) and because the conversation between Tsuna and Hibari was a little... awkward. Considering how Hibari barely speaks... So, this is slightly more special in that Hibari 'talks' in the form of inner monologue. Ironically, I am more pleased with how Hibari's 'speech' came out as compared to Tsuna's. *sweatdrops*

You know how I said there was no order for this fic? This chapter is specially chosen because I had two reviews hoping/wondering about Hibari's turn. So, this is my answer to that! _Urara_, _Rumu_ and _ikebukurolove_, hope this chapter didn't disappoint you!

That's all for this chapter, peeps! Ciao Ciao~


	4. Fourth Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**Chapter Warning: **Language will be slightly rougher in this chapter, but nothing too overboard.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**Special Note: **For this chapter only, centralized italics paragraphs separated by lines takes place in the mindscape. (You'll know it when you see it. Just to give a headsup.)

**EDIT (09/01): **Edited some minor language and grammar error, plus added the forgotten end of chapter quote/thought thingamajig.

* * *

**Fourth Time**

**Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy, to render the Famiglia's true form intangible with visions of deceit.**

**10****th**** Generation Mist Guardian: Chrome Dokuro**

Tsuna slammed a fist onto his desk furiously. "How the _hell_ is it possible?!"

The Guardians currently standing in the Vongola Decimo's office flinched. Gokudera and Yamamoto exchanged a helpless glance, while Ryohei had an arm wrapped around Lambo, who was currently sobbing into his dress shirt. Tsuna shot his Guardians a heated stare, despite knowing that it was not their fault why this was happening. His fist clenched tightly on the desk while he used his free hand to massage the bridge of his nose.

"_Dammit_…!"

It has been two weeks since then.

Tsuna had sent his Mist Guardian and Lightning Guardian on a mission to renew the alliance with the Tomaso Famiglia. The two Bosses had already met and agreed on the new terms beforehand, and the two Guardians were responsible for bringing the contract over for Don Tomaso to sign. On their way there, however, they were ambushed and attacked. When the retrieval and rescue team got there, they found an utterly wrecked car, a shot driver, an unconscious Lambo… and a missing Chrome. Both Lambo and the driver gave the same statements: they were attacked by men in suits with no sign of their Family Coat of Arms anywhere –in other words, no form of identification.

Tsuna had immediately sent out the rest of his Guardians to search, but they had turned up empty. The Vongola Decimo had even turned to his surrogate older brother, the Cavallone Decimo, and his closest alliance, the Simon Decimo; but both had found nothing either.

Tsuna was getting desperate.

The Vongola Decimo was about to call for the 9th Generation for help when the door to his office opened, revealing a slightly out-of-breath Hibari. The Cloud Guardian wasted no time in speaking.

"_Tetsu had a breakthrough." _

Tsuna was out of his chair in an instant, the Guardians snapping into motion with him.

"Lambo–"

"–I'm going."

Tsuna paused mid-step and turned to glance at his youngest Guardian. Lambo stared back determinedly, despite the tears still trickling down his cheeks. Tsuna frowned, but gave a nod.

"However." Tsuna spoke, crumbling the smile on the teen's face. "You _will _listen to Hayato _and _my commands. If we say you're not allowed to fight, you _will_ do as we say."

"…_Hai_, Tsuna-nii." Lambo nodded.

"Let's go." Tsuna ordered. As they made their way out to the front door, Tsuna pulled out his phone and jammed speed-dial-1. He didn't even allow the other person to mutter a greeting before hastily speaking, "Reborn, the Foundation found Chrome. Kyouya is sending you the coordinates. We'll meet you there."

"Wait for us, Chrome-chan." Tsuna heard his Rain Guardian muttering. "We're coming…!"

Tsuna couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

"Who do you think you are, barging into our headquarters?!"

The poor Mafioso didn't get to speak further when a silver gun was shoved in his face with the opening of the car door. He shook violently as the remaining doors of the same car, as well as two others, opened, and several men in suits with varying dress shirt colors stepped out. One of them, a brunette, motioned at the silverette –the one with the silver gun– who scowled at him menacingly before removing said gun, tucking it back into its holster.

"Afternoon. I have a little business with your Boss." The brunette spoke with a gentle smile. "I hope you don't mind showing me the way."

* * *

Without so much of a knock, Tsuna threw the double doors open and stepped through.

Tsuna settled himself comfortably on a couch immediately, Gokudera and Yamamoto taking their places behind the couch on the right and left side respectively. Reborn sat on the couch beside Tsuna, while Ryohei and Lambo occupied the opposite couch. Hibari took to leaning against the wall right beside the door as usual.

Tsuna had a pleasant smile on his face, though his darkened brown orbs, tinged with the faintest of amber showed his true ire. Gokudera didn't bother with pleasantries, a scowl on his face; while Yamamoto's smile was dangerous at best, threatening at worst. Ryohei, unlike his usual self, carefully kept his face neutral, while Lambo kept glancing between Tsuna and the man at the desk. Hibari's annoyance showed on his face, his entire body tensed, like a tightened coil ready to snap. Reborn, on the other hand, casually started polishing his gun, ignoring his student's pointed stare at him.

The boss had first looked up, startled, when his office doors were thrown open unceremoniously and had gone ashen when he saw who his unexpected 'guest' was. Behind him, his own Right-Hand man tensed, gritting his teeth while the four other Mafiosi stood rigidly against the wall.

"D-Don Vongola." The boss started. "What brings you here today, to my humble abode?"

Tsuna glanced slowly around the room, but did not reply. The brunette turned to glance down at the infant hitman beside him with a graceful arch of an eyebrow, sighing when he got a mere shrug in response. Tsuna continued to keep his silence, partially to unsettle the boss and partially to calm the temper that was rising within him. He took a moment to send a mental apology to his precious Mist Guardian; he trusted Hibari's Foundation and had no doubts that they found Chrome in this place; therefore it was important that he did not let his temper ruin this for them.

The boss was determined not to lose in the mind game, yet couldn't help but swallow at the tense atmosphere. Still, he stared firmly in Tsuna's direction, not willing to speak until the other did. Unfortunately for him, his Right-Hand man did not have the same patience.

The rather ignorant Right-Hand man growled and snapped at the Vongola Decimo, "Spill it out!"

"Raimondo!" The boss shouted, jumping out of his chair to grab his Right-Hand man before he did anything stupid.

Tsuna scoffed at his name; he was neither _'wise'_ nor _'protective'_ at the moment. _At least the idiot didn't point a gun at me_, Tsuna thought; _Hayato probably would have shot him without any second thoughts. _Tsuna took in one last deep breath and spoke, "Don Scordato. One of my Guardians is missing since two week ago. Kidnapped, in fact."

"And… you think I have it?"

"_Her_, Don Scordato." Tsuna corrected with a narrowed gaze. "I suggest you not make that mistake again. I do not take well at the mistreatment of _any_ of my Guardians."

"Y-Yes, Don Vongola. My deepest apologies." The boss answered, bowing his head respectfully. "Again I ask, you think I have her?"

Tsuna closed his eyes momentarily. "I don't _'think' _you have her, Don Scordato. I _know _you have her." Any trace of a smile disappeared off Tsuna's face, leaving behind a cold, hard stare.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Vongola Decimo."

_Why do they always have to do it the hard way…? _Tsuna sighed inaudibly. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a nod.

Gokudera bowed respectfully and glanced over at Yamamoto before turning to Ryohei and Lambo. Together, the four Guardians left the room.

"Hey! What are you–?!"

"–Oh, no worries." Tsuna smiled sweetly. "Well, I thought it would be faster this way. You see, I am in much of a hurry to find my missing Guardian, and I figured you wouldn't mind if we took a look around. Don't worry; my Guardians have been instructed to only look for my missing Guardian." Tsuna explained. "And if she _isn't _here, I would be more than willing to apologize."

"Stop screwing around!" Raimondo snarled, aiming his gun at Tsuna. On his unspoken cue, the other Mafiosi in the room followed.

Tsuna didn't seem unfazed at all, not even a slightest bit. In fact, he relaxed further into the couch, casually crossing one leg over the other.

"Au contraire, I'm not _'screwing around'_ as you so eloquently put it. I am _very _serious." Tsuna smirked. "By the way, Reborn's Chaos Shot is capable of splitting into up to 10 arrows. A mere five of you will hardly cause him to break a sweat, _ne_, Reborn?"

"Hmph. You dare question me if I will miss _sitting ducks_?" Reborn glared. "You obviously need more training."

Tsuna chuckled. "Now…" The brunette stood up with a smirk. "Don Scordota… Shall we take a walk?"

* * *

"_I'm __**killing **__them!_"

Yamamoto gritted his teeth as he held Gokudera back. "Stop it, Hayato!"

"You can't be helping them!" Gokudera snarled.

"I'm not!" Yamamoto hissed. He cursed in his mind; the state of rage the Storm Guardian was in was enough to actually overpower Yamamoto. "Dammit, Hayato! Calm down!" The raven glanced over his shoulder, "Ryohei! Go take a look at Chrome! Lambo, call Tsuna!"

Lambo scrambled to turn on his communicator in his ear, sobbing into it barely coherently, while Ryohei nodded and dashed past the leader and second-in-command of the Guardians to the furthest wall.

Chrome was there, chained to the wall by cuffs that left her hanging from the wall. Her hair was no longer in her usual style, but left hanging freely off her shoulder. Even with the color of her hair, it was possible to see patches of dried blood. A trail of blood, still fresh, flowed down the side of her face, her mouth marred by a nasty bruise. Her clothes hung in tatters, darkened by dried blood wherever it tore. Parallel bands of redden skin lined either side of her exposed arms.

Ryohei gritted his teeth at the sight, using all his control to reign in his rage. He would wait for Tsuna to take care of it. Knowing his boss and adoptive younger brother, this Family is toasted. He shattered the chains effortlessly and gently lowered Chrome to the ground.

"_What the hell is going on here?!_"

Yamamoto cursed. He was barely holding back Gokudera –who, somewhat amazingly, was still struggling– and now there's another someone who is going out of control fast.

Tsuna slammed Don Scordota to the nearest wall, gloves-covered hand gripping his throat painfully tight. His eyes were a brilliant golden as he snarled at the other Boss, "Didn't you, Don Scordota, say that you _did __**not **__have my Guardian?!_"

"Such… a weak… little girl… can't possibly be… Vongola Decimo's… Guardian…!"

"What right do you have to question my Guardians, you _bastard_?!" Tsuna snarled. "I'll make you _regret _laying a hand on my Guardian!"

Yamamoto lost the last of his thought-to-be-endless patience and roared, "_All of you! __**Calm the hell down!**_"

The shout from the most unexpected Guardian shocked everyone into silence. Gokudera completely froze in his arms while Tsuna let go of Don Scordota, the latter falling to the ground, gasping for breath. The other Scordota Mafiosi stood shell-shocked, pulling back from the attack they were going to unleash on the Vongola Decimo. Yamamoto glared at every single one present harshly before pulling back from Gokudera.

"Tsuna! I know you're mad and as much as you want to kill that bastard, you _know _there are more important priorities, so _snap out of it_!" Yamamoto growled. "And you, Hayato! You're the leader of the Guardians, so act like one! If you lose it when we really need you, what the hell are the rest of us supposed to do?!"

Tsuna breathed out and let the Dying Will flame fade. "…You're right, Takeshi. I'm sorry. I should have known better than to let my anger control me." Tsuna closed his eyes. "If that person saw me now, he's going to have an aneurysm…"

"…Thanks, Takeshi. I'm sorry for losing it." Gokudera murmured. "Lucky for me, I have you to stop me, huh."

Yamamoto couldn't help but smile at the remark.

"…_Boss…" _

Tsuna's eyes widened.

Ryohei glanced down at his lap. "C-Chrome…? Can you hear me?!"

"Hayato, hold him." Tsuna tossed the frozen Don Scordota over before dashing over to where Ryohei was.

The Scordota Mafioso was about to move, but one murderous glare from the Vongola Cloud Guardian and the cocking of a gun from the infamous Sun Arcobaleno held them back.

Tsuna skidded to a stop beside the duo and knelt down. "Chrome? Chrome…! Please… open your eyes… for me? Please…!"

"Bo… Boss…" Chrome murmured. "Is… Boss… r-really here…?"

Tsuna grasped the violently shaking hand tightly in his. "I'm here, Chrome. Come on, open your eyes? Please?"

Chrome grimaced as she used what's left of her strength to open her lone eye. Her vision was horribly blurred, and the blood dripping into her eye was not helping. Still, she managed to see a mess of brown and a mob and white.

"B-Boss…"

"C-Chrome…!" Tsuna swallowed. "I'm sorry we took so long… It's alright now… We're here. We won't let you get hurt anymore…"

"Boss… Boss came…" Chrome mumbled. "Boss… came…" With a faint smile, the Mist Guardian's eye closed and her breathing evened out.

"Chrome… Chrome! _**Chrome!**_"

"She's alright." Ryohei said. "Umm, I mean, she just fell asleep."

Tsuna let his gaze linger on his fallen Guardian for a little while longer before he stood up, brown orbs flickering into amber. "Ryohei."

"Yes, Sawada?" Ryohei replied dutifully.

"Take Chrome and head back ahead of us. Get her into treatment immediately. Also, send two clean-up teams and one retrieval team. Lambo, go with Ryohei, make sure you cover him to safely." Tsuna ordered.

"Understood, Sawada." Ryohei nodded. He got up slowly as he carefully lifted Chrome into his arms, making sure not to injure her any further. "Let's go, Lambo."

The Lightning Guardian nodded and pulled out his horns, fixing it carefully on his head. In addition, he pulled out some hand grenades, smugly juggling them in his hands. "I'm ready, Ryo-nii."

Ryohei gave another nod and the two Vongola Guardians strode out of the room, only to be blocked by Raimondo, who aimed a gun at them. The Sun and Lightning Guardian didn't even bother pausing; only pausing momentarily to nod in gratitude to the Cloud Guardian who had Raimondo handcuffed and tossed to the side in an instant.

"This is _our _HQ! You can't do this to us!" Raimondo roared.

Gokudera growled and put a bullet through his leg before turning to Tsuna. "Jyuudaime, permission to knock him out?"

"Yes, before you accidentally kill him." Tsuna sighed. "And Cesare, too, if you don't mind. The gag doesn't seem to be working on him."

Gokudera nodded with a smirk before swiftly knocking both the Don of Scordota and his Right-Hand man out with a well-aimed chop to the back of their skulls.

"Now then…" Tsuna turned to the Mafiosi still gathered at the entryway of the containment cell and, with his eyes still trained on them, spoke, "Hayato, Takeshi, Kyouya, Reborn."

"Awaiting orders, Jyuudaime." Gokudera answered.

"Ready when you are, Tsuna." Yamamoto shifted the sword on his back.

Hibari didn't say anything, but twirled his tonfas in anticipation. Leon turned into Reborn's trusty gun in his hand while the infant adjusted his fedora.

When Tsuna spoke, his voice was hard and cold like steel. "Tear this place down. Keep the usual for interrogation. As for the rest… take them out."

Gokudera nodded and pulled out his PDA, bringing out the pre-investigated blueprints. "Takeshi, clear out the back. Hibari, have fun with the central block –that's where most of those idiots are. Reborn-san, I'll leave the left wing to you. I'll take the right." Gokudera instructed.

"What about those here?" Yamamoto asked.

"I'll take care of those." Tsuna spoke up, already in his Hyper Dying Will mode. He glanced to the Mafiosi outside who stood, frozen in fear, as soon as their Boss and Second-in-Command were knocked out. "I want this place down in record time. Go."

The Guardians, along with Reborn, replied with varying forms of agreement before heading out. A smirk lingered on each of their faces.

As their Boss always said: _"No one touches their family and gets away with it." _

_The Scordota Famiglia was doomed from the very moment they even __**thought**__ about ambushing the Vongola Famiglia._

* * *

"Jyuudaime, _please_ get your wound checked out…!" Gokudera pleaded for the umpteen time.

Tsuna ignored him once again and, while still holding the handkerchief Yamamoto offered him earlier to the deep gash on his right arm, continued to pace around in the small hallway in front of the operating theatre.

The Family had returned to HQ an hour ago, bringing back the Don of Scordota and his Right-Hand man, as well as eight of the higher ranking Mafiosi in the Scordota Famiglia along with them. The clean-up teams were still at the Scordota Famiglia estate, doing their duties.

Against the full wrath of the Vongola Famiglia, the Scordota Famiglia didn't stand a chance. The Vongola Famiglia themselves all got away with minimal damages; Tsuna had a gash on his right arm, Gokudera sprained his right hand from an accidental misfire, Yamamoto was grazed by a few bullets but did not get shot at all, while –as expected of them– Hibari and Reborn were both completely unscathed. (Reborn was complaining about his dirtied Armani suit, however.) Ryohei and Lambo returned two hours ahead of them, the teen suffering some minor cuts while Ryohei was also completely wound-free, thanks to the Lightning Guardian's cover.

Now, they were all gathered at the operating theatre, waiting for news of Chrome's ongoing operation to come out.

Yamamoto sighed, "Tsuna. You can have Ryohei check your wound when he comes out. Just… Please, sit down."

"Just let him, Yamamoto."

"Reborn-san…" Yamamoto blinked.

Reborn nodded in acknowledgement before turning to Tsuna, who glanced at him inquisitively. "We've secured the prisoners." The infant frowned at the bloodied sleeve. Reborn jumped effortlessly onto Tsuna's shoulder as his yellow pacifier began to glow, Sun flames emerging from it and moved to heal the gash.

With a murmured 'thanks', Tsuna began to pace again.

Reborn moved to sit on Yamamoto's shoulder instead, not wanting to be subjected to his student's pacing despite his own approval. The hitman was starting to regret letting Tsuna pace and was pondering over the idea of shooting the brunette when the twin doors leading to the operation theatre finally opened, and the one person they were waiting for came out.

"Ryo!" Tsuna stepped over to his Sun Guardian, the others –sans Hibari– moved to follow. "How's Chrome?"

"She was hurt pretty badly." Ryohei sighed. "She's covered with bruises and cuts everywhere. We suspect that, at some point in time, she also suffered successive concussions, but because it has been a while, we can't trace it accurately. She has three fractured ribs; two on the left and one on the right. Thankfully, none were broken, and her lungs are perfectly alright." Ryohei paused for a moment; pondering over his next words. "…We also found signs that her organs almost failed a few times. As in…" Ryohei swallowed, fearing their reactions. Still, he continued after a while, "…it… nearly disappeared a few times…"

"What the hell is Muku–" Gokudera started, only to be stopped by Tsuna holding up a hand; a hand that, if they stared closely enough, was shaking ever so minutely.

"Ryohei…" Tsuna's voice was tight and pained. "Are… Are you saying what I think you're saying…?"

"…Yes." Ryohei nodded grimly. "Chrome… was tortured mentally. To the point she nearly lost connection to Mukuro a few times. That's why her illusionary organs, made by Mukuro, nearly disappeared a few times."

"…How sure are you?" Reborn asked.

"You know we have a few Mist guys in the Sun Division, right? We called in those guys to check it out." Ryohei replied. "They said… Uhh, I'm sorry for the choice of words, but… They said that Chrome's mind is pretty scrambled right now. And… there's a possibility she's not going to wake up as a result."

The Guardians jumped when a fist was slammed into the nearest wall hard enough to cause a dent.

Tsuna's face was twisted with rage. His eyes had turned completely golden in his anger, his fists clenched so tightly, they feared he was going to break skin. Tsuna's body was _shaking _with the amount of effort he needed to rein his rage in.

No one could bring themselves to calm the Vongola Decimo –not when they themselves were feeling like tearing into the nearest objects.

A tense silence covered enveloped the entire hallway; even the Vongola Mafiosi and servants, afraid of tension within, strayed away. It wasn't as though they didn't know what was going on; news spread like wild fire in the Vongola estate, especially if it concerns the Vongola Guardians. While the Vongola Famiglia was still somewhat divided on their opinions of their new leaders, those who had opposing opinions still respected the Vongola Guardians and that meant they were protective of their own, internal conflict or not.

They knew Vongola Decimo would take care of it.

And so now... They could only pray.

* * *

It was now five days after that fateful day.

Reborn only allowed the Guardians to mope for the whole of the first day before he started kicking people out of Chrome's ward from the second day onwards, berating them that while he understands that they are worried about Chrome, they must not forget their duties as Vongola Guardians to the Vongola Famiglia. Reluctantly, the Guardians left, returning to their own duties, coming back to visit the unconscious Mist Guardian whenever they are free; be it at the break of dawn, during lunch breaks, or even mere minutes before they left the estate on their missions.

Tsuna, however, was somewhat different.

To any outsider, it would seem as though the Vongola Decimo was working as per normal; paperwork and meetings. But if anyone asked the medics on nightshift, this is what they would tell you: the Vongola Decimo visits the Mist Guardian the most –every night, after most of the estate had fallen asleep. The brunette would stay there throughout the night –sometimes falling asleep in the bedside chair; sometimes staying awake all night, watching over Chrome. At the crack of dawn, the Vongola Decimo will quietly leave, and then the cycle repeats.

Today, however, the cycle broke.

Reborn had checked; Tsuna did leave Chrome's ward at the usual time, but he never did show up for breakfast. That was enough to send warning bells in the present Guardians' minds, but Reborn easily convinced them that the brunette was alright. The Guardians settled, but Reborn knew that if they suspected Tsuna to be in any danger, they had grown enough to even defy Reborn and go after the Vongola Decimo anyway.

…Which was exactly why Reborn _accidentally _forgot to mention that Tsuna was headed for _that place_ to meet _that person _**alone**.

* * *

"_What happened?" _

_He didn't even give me a normal greeting. He must really be worried. _Tsuna frowned. "Chrome… was attacked."

"_And how did that happen, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" _

_Full-name basis. Getting dangerous. _Tsuna swallowed as he answered, "Some idiot Family decided that they had the right to question _my _Guardians. They kidnapped Chrome and… interrogated her." Tsuna knew he couldn't see –not with him still asleep– but he bowed in that darkened room anyway. "I'm sorry, Mukuro…"

"_I see. So they dare touch my beloved Nagi, do they…? I hope they suffered." _

Tsuna smirked then, "Who said they're dead?"

"_Surely you didn't let them go." _

"Of course not. Their deaths were confirmed the moment they touched Chrome." Tsuna replied. "Right now, Kyouya is having fun with them. I told him he can do whatever he wants with them, as long as they are alive. For once, he agreed with me when I said that _you _should be given the right to have fun with them."

"_Kufufu. The skylark is showing considerable self-control." _

"Kyouya hates you, but he is still reasonable." Tsuna answered. "Mukuro… Chrome disappeared for two weeks. We got her back five days ago. Ryohei said her physical injuries were healed, but they also attacked her mind. You should know… She nearly lost connection to you a few times."

"_And now I can't feel her at all." _

"W-What?!" Tsuna stared, eyes blown wide open, at the floating figure in front of him.

"…_Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I still have a connection to her, but that connection is faint. Like a weak thread that is about to break any moment. I'm afraid she's rejecting me at the moment." _

"But… Chrome would never reject you…!" Tsuna protested.

"_I believe it is more of the effect of whatever those bastards had done to Nagi, rather than her own will." _

Tsuna was silent. He knew, that when Ryohei said her mind was assaulted, that the damage would definitely be worse than he imagined. But this… This is worse than the worse he imagined. "Mukuro… Please… You're the only one who can save Chrome now…" Tsuna pleaded.

There was no hesitation from the other.

"_You made a promise to protect my beloved Nagi-chan until I return, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Don't forget that." _

With that, he was gone.

Tsuna smiled to himself in the near darkness.

* * *

_She was here again_–

–_The wide open field;_

–_The sparkling blue river; _

–_The single, large tree on the small hill. _

_She was here again –her personal paradise. _

_How did she get here? She couldn't seem to remember. All she knew was that she didn't want to leave ever again. _

_She chooses her favorite seat: underneath the cool shade of the large tree that gave her a perfect view of that ever flowing river. _

_She ponders over the river. _Where did it come from? Where did it lead? _There were questions buzzing in her head, yet she didn't want it answered. _

_All she needed was this: her, alone, in her small, personal paradise. She didn't need anything else. _

_She was safe here. Safe from… _Safe from what? _This was her personal paradise. It made her safe. But… _why did I need to feel safe in the first place?

_There was something missing. Something that was supposed to make her feel safe… r… That something wasn't here… _

If… If people had everything they needed in their paradise… Then… why do I feel like I'm missing something…?

"_Nagi-chan."_

_She sits up, and glances around at the voice._

"_Nagi-chan."_

Where… Where was that voice coming from? _She gets up, still looking around from her position. _

_Was she hearing things? This is her _personal _paradise. There… There shouldn't be anyone around but her. _

…_Right? _

"_Nagi-chan."_

"_W… Who…?" Her voice was soft and timid, but nevertheless, she spoke. "Who's there?" _

"_Nagi-chan."_

"_Who's there?" Her voice, now louder, floats across the open field. _

_She starts moving; first off the hill, then around the field. She searches; searches for that voice. The voice… it made her feel safe. Safer than being here. The voice was nostalgic. Like she knew that voice from somewhere far away. _

"_Nagi-chan."_

_She didn't know how, but somehow, she realized. _

_She _knew _the owner of that voice. _

_It wasn't the paradise making her feel safe…_

…_It was _that person_._

Who… Who is that person…?

"_Nagi-chan."_

_She stops in the middle of the field. _

What is that person's name?

_It was sitting there; at the tip of her tongue. Why can't she remember? Why can't she remember the name of the person that made her feel safe? _

"_Nagi-chan."_

_Did she _not _want to remember then? Is that it? Because… Because… _

…I'm scared…

_She was afraid. _

_Afraid of what? _

_This is her paradise. She didn't need to be afraid, did she? _

"_Nagi-chan."_

_No… This… Her paradise… It isn't complete. _

_That's why she didn't feel safe. _

_That person… She had to remember. That's person's name…_

"_Nagi-chan." _

_That person's… _

…_name…_

"…Mukuro… sama…"

"_Nagi-chan." _

_She spins around. _

_He was standing right there. _

_Just like the first time they met. _

_Dark blue locks framing an angular face; mismatched eyes of ruby and sapphire; all decked in white. _

_The one who made her feel safe. _

"_Mukuro-sama…!" She throws herself in his arms, crying freely into his pure white shirt. She holds him tightly; afraid that if she let go, he might just disappear. _

"_Nagi-chan…" He whispers. "I have been searching all over for you. You worried me." _

"_I'm sorry, Mukuro-sama." She replies softly. _

"_Naughty Nagi-chan." He scolds. "You made all of us worry." _

_She blinked in confusion. "All of us?" _There's someone else here?

_He frowns. "Yes. They are waiting over there. Down the river." He smiles and offers a hand. "Shall we go, Nagi-chan?" _

"Yes, Mukuro-sama."

_Taking that hand, she suddenly knows where they were heading. _

"…let's… go home…"

* * *

"C-Chrome…?"

She blinked weakly and glanced to the side. It took her a while, mostly because of her blur vision, but she finally figured out who was the one calling her name.

"…Boss?"

She was right, of course.

In the chair placed next to the bed, Sawada Tsunayoshi sat, watching her in wide open eyes.

While Chrome isn't one to criticize anyone badly, she had to admit that Tsuna looked downright horrible at the moment.

Tsuna's cloak was carefully draped over the back of the chair, though his suit jacket was tossed over the arm of the chair haphazardly. He was still in his suit –white vest over orange dress shirt with white tie matched with white slacks– though his tie was loosened considerably. Tsuna was slouching a little in his seat. That, along with the obvious eye bags underneath caramel orbs told Chrome that Tsuna either hadn't been sleeping well or was not even sleeping in the first place.

A tired smile spread across his face, "You're finally awake. Thank goodness."

"Boss…?" Chrome frowned.

"Chrome, do you remember what happened?" Tsuna asked softly.

The Mist Guardian thought over the question. "I… was supposed to go with Lambo-chan to see Don Tomaso. About… a contract…?"

"Is… that all?" Tsuna questioned.

Chrome thought about it before nodding.

Tsuna let out a breath, sitting back in his chair. "Chrome, I won't tell you everything yet; just the gist of it. You were kidnapped by the Scordota Famiglia about three weeks ago. It took us two weeks to finally find you. We rescued you and brought you back to Vongola. You… have been asleep for ten days now."

Chrome's eye widened. "T-Ten…?"

Tsuna nodded slowly. "Everyone was worried sick about you. Especially Lambo. He felt really bad because he was with you, but you got caught."

Chrome's frail form sagged even further. "I-I'm sorry…"

"Chrome, do _not _blame yourself." Tsuna said sternly.

The Mist Guardian glanced up at him with shock in her eye.

"It was that bastard Scordota's fault. That idiot shouldn't have thought of attacking any one of us in the first place." Tsuna growled.

"B-But, Lambo-chan…" Chrome murmured.

"Lambo feels responsible. Well… it's not as though I don't understand where it comes from, but I know he tried his best, and that's what matters. Lambo is alright. We all took turns to talk to him, and he's feeling better. Although I think what he really needs is to see you up and around again." Tsuna smiled. "So Chrome, I want you to concentrate on recovering, okay?"

"Boss…" Chrome shifted a little on the bed. "…Am… Am I really useful to Boss?"

Tsuna frowned. "…Why do you ask that?"

"B-Because… I… I'm always getting caught… or hurt… and… and I always need Boss and the others to save me…" Chrome mumbled.

"But… I'm the same too." Tsuna replied.

Chrome turned to stare at Tsuna.

"How many times has Hayato covered my back? How many times has Takeshi got me out of a pinch? How many times has Ryohei healed my injuries? How many times has Lambo help defend? How many times has Kyouya taken out my enemies for me?" Tsuna said. "How many times… has your illusions covered _us _and bewildered the enemy so that _we _have an easier time fighting?"

Chrome swallowed, feeling the telltale feeling of tears gathering in her eye.

"Chrome, it's not physical strength that matters. Until now, I am _still _pretty convinced that my Guardians all happen to like violence, one way or another." Tsuna grinned. "But I don't think that is what's bothering you." Tsuna's eyes softened a little, "It's because you think you're weak, compared to Mukuro, isn't it?"

Chrome bit down on her lip.

"Chrome… I don't care if the Mafia world acknowledges this or not. I have _**two **_Mist Guardians: Chrome Dokuro and Rokudo Mukuro." Tsuna said firmly. "I honestly think you shouldn't be comparing yourself to Mukuro. Chrome, you specialize in support and Mukuro specialize in offense. That's two different areas. Besides, that pervert has the added advantage of being a sadist; he likes to hurt people more." Tsuna continued. "You know, I promised him I wouldn't tell you, but Mukuro said that your illusions are definitely getting stronger and stronger. I feel it too." Tsuna smiled. "So don't worry about it, Chrome."

"B-Boss…"

"You call me 'Boss'. That means you trust me, right?" Tsuna asked.

Chrome nodded without hesitation.

"Then don't bother with that other people say. Listen to what _I _say." Tsuna said. "_I _say that you are my Mist Guardian, Chrome. _I _say that you are strong enough to protect the Vongola Famiglia's true form. Don't ever doubt that. Understood?"

"Y-Yes…" Chrome cried. "Understood, Boss…!"

Tsuna smiled, about to reach out for his Mist Guardian when the door to the ward opened. He frowned, it was late at night, so he didn't expect anyone in here.

"Chrome-chan!"

Chrome blinked. "K-Kyoko-chan… H-Haru-chan…!"

"What did you do to my pilot? You're supposed to get here in the afternoon." Tsuna frowned at the two girls.

He had arranged for Kyoko and Haru to fly in to Italy by tomorrow afternoon; seeing as they were as close as Tsuna was to Chrome –closer than, even. Besides, he knew that Chrome needed time to recover, and it was better for her to recover with the girls watching over her.

"We were worried about Chrome-chan!" Haru said.

"Thank you for arranging a private jet for us, Tsuna-kun." Kyoko smiled.

"B-Boss…?" Chrome stared at Tsuna in disbelief.

Tsuna smiled, "I-Pin is reaching in the afternoon. She is returning with Fon-san on a commercial flight, so they can't change their flight schedule." He explained, staring pointedly at the two girls who grinned sheepishly at him. "Well, Ryohei said it would be sometime before you're cleared, so I figured you might want some company."

"T-Thank you, Boss…" Chrome cried.

Tsuna smiled as he cradled the purple-haired girl to him. He pressed his lips to her hair gently, giving her shoulder a light squeeze before pulling back.

"Well, I have a feeling you girls will be having a girl's talk, so I'll leave you to it." Tsuna announced. "I'll have Ryo check on you in the morning, Chrome. Hayato will show you to your rooms tomorrow, Kyoko, Haru."

"Where is Boss going?" Chrome asked.

"Sleep." Tsuna answered, muffling a yawn. He paused at the door and smiled at Chrome once more, "_Okaeri_, Chrome."

Chrome smiled, "_Tadaima_."

_'We're sorry for being so late, Chrome. But it's okay now. We're right here. Don't worry, Chrome. You've already become the Mist that envelops us and enshrouds us. You are our family, and we're always here. Welcome back... Chrome.'_

* * *

**Extra Notes: **

_Raimondo_: Italian form of Frankish German _Raginmund_, meaning "wise protector".

_Cesare_: Italian form of Roman Latin Cæsar, meaning "severed".

_Scordota_: Italian (Sicily); from _scurdatu_; 'forgotten', 'left behind'; presumably a nickname of anecdotal origin.

* * *

A/N: This... came out _way _longer than I thought. It nearly reached 6k, excluding AN. Still, I am very satisfied with how this came out. I thought that, since Chrome is an illusionist, hers would center more on the mind than physical injuries, but she got both of it anyway... (Sorry, Chrome!) I am sorry for jumping around between scenes -I need to work on my transitions...

Now, there is something **important I need to ask you guys. **

As I said, this is set in the canon time, between present and TYL. As such, Mukuro is still stuck _there_, which is why the Mist chapter foucses on Chrome. However, if you guys want, I can write a chapter for Mukuro, but that would be an extra chapter/bonus, and it will be done _after _the seventh chapter. It's a yes or no thing, so just lemme know in a review/pm.

Sorry for the long wait. I got a little distracted with New Year's One-shot, plus this came out longer than I thought.

That's all for this time, peeps! Ciao Ciao~

**EDIT (09/01), cont'd: **I am SUCH a forgetful idiot! I was so excited at posting this (plus I was kinda running late on this), that I _totally _forgot Chrome's end of chapter quote/thought thingamajig! So... It's added on now. Not sure if it spoiled the ending though... Argh. :x


	5. Fifth Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**EDIT (09/01): **Kudos to _dark-dreams-of-love_ for pointing out that there was a distinct lack of EXTREME in this chapter. This chapter has since been slightly revised to be more EXTREME! ...Continued below.

* * *

**Fifth Time**

**Destroying the misfortune that attacks the Famiglia with their own body, they become the Sun that brightly shines upon an area. **

**10****th**** Vongola Sun Guardian: Sasagawa Ryohei**

Tsuna wonders –he really, _really _wonders– how is it that he, _Vongola Decimo, __**Don **__of the freaking Vongola Famiglia_, got himself into a situation like this.

–Oh wait. He was _walking down the street_.

Now, if his hands weren't bound behind the back of the chair he was tied to right now, he would have smacked himself in the face with a hand.

Tsuna wasn't sure if he should be surprised that he, _Vongola Decimo, __**Don **__of the freaking Vongola Famiglia_, was the victim of a **kidnapping**. You'd think that after the whole fiasco with the Scordota Famiglia (that, by now, the entire Mafia across the world knew about), no one would try touching the Vongola Famiglia for quite some time…

Then again, as Tsuna stared at the haughty kidnappers in front of him, he suddenly had a feeling that he was in more trouble than he thought –and in an entirely different matter altogether.

He wasn't wrong.

"–Do you even know who I am?" Tsuna decided to cut off his kidnapper's all-too-cliché rants.

"Some big business man, I'll bet. Some rich hotshot." One of the kidnapper replied.

…_Technically, he isn't wrong. Vongola's cover is a big business corporation… _Tsuna thought. _But, still… _

Despite the inappropriateness of it all, Tsuna couldn't help but have a particular thought in mind: _I don't know if I should be amused or insulted that there is actually someone in Italy who _doesn't _know who Vongola Decimo is._

Tsuna resisted the urge to sigh or groan.

Ironically, if this was a Mafia Family trying to kidnap him, this whole affair could have been solved _way _more easily. He just _had _to be kidnapped by… well, _**normal **_kidnappers.

"Look, why don't you tell me why you're kidnapping me for." Tsuna sighed deeply. _Please… I have a meeting in… Actually, I think it already started. Dammit. _

"Like it isn't obvious!" The other replied.

_Yes, yes. Kidnap the filthy rich man for money. How… dull. _Tsuna cringed at the thought. Has he been in the Mafia for so long that a _simple _kidnapping actually feels _dull_?!

"Look, just stay here, pretty boy. We'll take care of things." The kidnapper snapped, and the duo walked out of the small room, shutting it behind them.

Tsuna stared at their retreating backs in disbelief. _D-Did he just c-call me… _'pretty boy'_?! _Tsuna growled. _Oh, it's __**on**__! _

His ring and mittens may have been stolen (with a mocking laugh, no less), but his will sure isn't. In fact, his will is stronger than ever. Tsuna closed his eyes to clear his sight of anything distracting and began to focus. If Tsuna's eyes were opened, one would have seen the previous caramel eyes turn a warm honey. Behind his back (_and _the chair's back), Tsuna touched his thumbs and index fingers together, a faint, barely visible Dying Will flame flickering on his forehead.

Because the number of Dying Will flame users has been increasing, it is getting harder and harder to track individual flame signals across the country.

By switching between a plus state and minus state, Tsuna's own Dying Will flame signal flickers like a light from a lighthouse, possibly (and hopefully), alerting his Family of his location.

Letting out a deep breath, Tsuna finally let his Dying Will flame flicker out. With a sigh, he sat back in his seat (it's not as though he _can _go anywhere…) and waited. He was fair –no, _absolutely _certain his Family would find him and save him.

He's more afraid of the carnage they'll leave behind as they did so.

* * *

Sometime between sending out the pulse of flames and now, Tsuna actually managed to fall asleep. _I regret it though… Damn, it hurts. I'll never complain about my comfy leather chair again, I swear! Not changing my mind about the paperwork though. _Tsuna groaned quietly before starting to figure out what woke him up.

Tsuna first took a look around. He was still in the same chair, same abandoned warehouse –_how cliché_, he couldn't help but think. _Come to think of it, I've never really taken a good look around… _

The warehouse was… _average_. That is really the only word to describe it.

With walls made of metal, the warehouse was lined with rows upon rows of metal racks that were rusted with age. Many of them were still filled with old wooden crates, of various shapes and sizes. The empty place where Tsuna was seated housed a single desk beside two metal cabinets, covered with red-brown rust in patches –_the office area, maybe?_ The warehouse entrance was high, about two stories, and opened by sliding to their respective sides.

His inspection done, Tsuna closed his eyes and focused on his hearing, trying to listen out for any abnormal sounds.

There wasn't any sound within the warehouse besides his own breathing, which he automatically ignored and cancelled out. The thick metal walls made it hard to hear anything going on outside, but Tsuna's Hyper Intuition helped greatly. For a while, the Vongola Decimo heard nothing except for the occasional gusts of wind. He was about to give up, since focusing his Hyper Intuition for so long was rather tiring, when he heard _it_.

_Footsteps_.

Two sets of them in fact.

–His kidnappers.

It didn't take long for one of the door to slide open and the two to run in, glaring harshly at him.

"Who the hell are you?!" One of them demanded.

"How can a scrawny brat like you be part of _the _Vongola?!" The other shouted in panic.

_Who the hell are you calling 'scrawny brat'?! You're smaller than me, idiot!_ Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. He took in a deep breath to calm him before letting a smug smirk spread across his face. "There are two things wrong with that statement. One, I am, as you can _clearly _see, _not _a scrawny brat. Two, I am not merely part of the Vongola Famiglia." Tsuna paused momentarily, his smirk getting predatory. "I_ lead _the Vongola Famiglia."

"W-What…?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo." He tilted his head (since he couldn't bow at the moment). "…At your service."

The kidnappers stared at him in shock before mumbling furiously among themselves.

And the last thing that Tsuna knew was their panicked looks.

* * *

"Look at that!" Yamamoto pointed out.

"W-What the…" Ryohei swallowed.

"Dammit…! Jyuudaime!" Gokudera stepped harder down on the pedal, urging the car to move even faster.

"…Wait."

Gokudera turned to the backseat. "The warehouse is on fire! What are we supposed to wait for?!"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at the Storm Guardian, "Whoever set the fire is coming this way. There is only one way into that warehouse."

Yamamoto caught on immediately, "Hayato, let Hibari off. He'll deal with the arsonists. We'll get Tsuna."

Gokudera growled and slammed hard on the breaks. "Don't let those bastards get away, Hibari."

"Hurry and leave before I bite you along with them." Hibari snapped back.

With a glare, Gokudera started the car again and sped towards the burning warehouse.

The Guardians were out searching everywhere when Tsuna didn't return to the estate, even after the scheduled meeting started. After three painfully tense hours, a call came in from Vongola's Tech Department, calling back the four older Guardians –Storm, Rain, Sun and Cloud, who were the ones out searching (along with Hibari's Foundation). As it turned out, the city-wide search had a lead come up: the Vongola Decimo's Dying Will flame signal had started flickering, as though he was about to unleash either versions of the Zero Point Breakthrough. Once the signal was found, triangulating the source of the signal was easy.

The four Guardians took off again, this time in a car together –with not a single protest from the Cloud Guardian, surprisingly– after Lambo and Chrome were ordered to stay and be in charge of the Vongola estate while they were gone.

The warehouse –_several _warehouses, actually– was owned by a single company and was built on the outer edges of the town. As the company had long since moved their warehouse to newer, modern ones, this one –the one they were heading to– was left abandoned.

As they closed in on the warehouses, one of them started producing smoke and it didn't take long for the warehouse to start burning up.

Gokudera skidded the car to a stop in front of the burning warehouse. "Takeshi. Do something!"

"The fire is too big. I can't put it out." Yamamoto gritted.

"He's right." Ryohei frowned.

"Then let's go in! Jyuudaime _has _to be inside!" Gokudera shouted.

"No, wait!" Ryohei pulled back the silverette. He cut him off before Gokudera could start shouting, "Gokudera, use your _Sistema C.A.I. _to blast the door open. I'll go in with Yamamoto." He turned to the Rain Guardian next, "Yamamoto, use your Rain flames to cover us. You can't douse the fire, but you can still cover us."

Gokudera all but slammed his lit Vongola Storm Ring into the box hanging off his belt. Quickly opening another box, he pulled out a small black tube, inserting into the Flame Arrow mounted on his right arm quickly. A quick aim and he fired, bursts of Storm flames covered by Rain flames shooting towards the shut warehouse doors, bursting it open. He pulled off his suit jacket, throwing it on the ground haphazardly before ripping off his red dress shirt. Ducking back into the car momentarily, Gokudera reemerged with a bottle of water. He drenched his dress shirt before handing it over to Ryohei, who had quickly figured out what he was up to.

Yamamoto, on the other hand, opened the small blue box he always carried with him. A small swallow flew out from the box and circled above them. That done, Yamamoto moved to unsheathe his sword, holding it firmly in front of him. Meanwhile, Ryohei chucked his suit jacket like Gokudera and loosened his tie, rewrapping the bandages around his hands.

With a nod towards each other, Yamamoto and Ryohei ran into the burning warehouse, Koujirou spraying Rain flames on them from above. They paused momentarily, startled by the size of the flames before starting to call out for their missing Boss. It was hard; between the roaring of the flames and the obstruction of visions by both the fire and the heavy smoke, they could barely hear anything else –if any at all. In the end, it was the Rain Swallow flying above that finally spotted their fallen Boss amidst all the destruction and pointed out the directions.

Yamamoto and Ryohei both gave themselves a moment to feel relieved that they found Tsuna. They knew the danger isn't over yet; but find Tsuna is the first step.

Tsuna was still tied to the chair, though said chair had, thankfully, been knocked to the ground. There was a bit of blood trailing down the side of the brunette's head, but a look from Ryohei told Yamamoto that the wound isn't serious. His rings and mittens were thrown haphazardly next to him.

The Rain Guardian moved to cut the ropes binding Tsuna to the chair when a loud noise crackled behind them –the support pillars were starting to crumble and fall.

Ryohei frowned and helped Tsuna onto Yamamoto's back, covering the unconscious brunette's mouth with Gokudera's wet dress shirt. When Yamamoto gave the okay, they began to move once more. Ryohei lead the front, punching out any debris or fallen pillars that blocked the way. A sound from Koujirou, and Ryohei would spin back and knock away any falling beams in Yamamoto's way. With a system like that, it barely took as much time for them to get out of that burning warehouse.

Gokudera was there, pacing a path into the ground, when they finally burst through the flames.

Yamamoto and Ryohei hurriedly gasped for fresh air as Gokudera ushered them further away from the warehouse.

"Jyuudaime…" Gokudera mumbled brokenly.

"Step on it, Gokudera. Sawada definitely has CO poisoning. We need to get him treated ASAP." Ryohei ordered.

"_Sempai_, you too." Yamamoto frowned.

Ryohei glanced down at himself in surprise, not noticing his own injuries at all. He stared at it for another moment before shaking his head, "It's fine. Sawada's case is more important. Come on, hurry!"

* * *

Tsuna has been in Vongola's medical wing many, many times.

Be it to visit his Guardians or any Mafiosi in the Family, or to come for check-up (_or _to _personally _accompany his Guardians to make sure they come for check-ups), Tsuna has been in the medical wards countless of times.

…It was rare that _he _was the one recovering in one of the private wards.

He must have made a noise of sorts when he woke up, because he found himself with an armful of a wailing Lightning Guardian in moments, along with an assortment of his name and title coming from all around the room –including the most dreadful one.

"_**Dame-Tsuna**_."

Tsuna flinched. He opened his mouth to speak, only to choke on a mouthful of air. Coughing a little, he reached up with a hand to pull the oxygen mask off, taking in a breath of fresh air. Finished, he turned to speak, "Welcome back, Reborn."

The hitman glared harshly at him from underneath his trademark fedora, but Tsuna ignored it, instead turning to the sobbing bundle in his arm.

"Lambo…" He called gently. "Lambo… Please stop crying. I'm alright now… I promise."

Lambo lifted his head and glanced at him with puffy red eyes. "R-Really…?" He sniffled.

"Well, I feel fine, but we'll need to ask Ryo about that." Tsuna smiled. "Ryo?"

The Sun Guardian standing against the far wall frowned and spoke up, "Before that, I'm guessing you have a headache."

Tsuna nodded.

"Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?"

"Slightly nauseous, but not dizzy." Tsuna answered.

Ryohei nodded, "Mild CO poisoning and mild concussion." He concluded. "You nearly gave Gokudera a heart attack when we found you unconscious. We thought you passed out from the CO poisoning, in which case is considered to be lethal."

"Umm, no. The kidnappers –wait. What happened to them?" Tsuna frowned.

"Hibari had a fun time biting them to death –or so we heard." Yamamoto grinned.

"_Kumo-_san is missing again, though." Chrome added.

Tsuna sighed and continued, "The kidnappers didn't initially know who I am." The Vongola Decimo couldn't help but laugh at the Guardians' 'are-you-kidding-me' looks. "Yeah. Anyway, they found out later, panicked, knocked me out, and –I guess– set fire to the warehouse."

"Dame-Tsuna. Every single thing you said spells _more training_." Reborn snapped.

"Sorry, Reborn." Ryohei spoke up. "He's off anything strenuous for at least three weeks, or until whenever I clear him." At Tsuna's grin and Reborn's murderous stare, he quickly added, "Once he's clear, you can have him."

Reborn smirked.

Tsuna's mouth fell open.

Yamamoto laughed.

"Sorry, Sawada." Ryohei grinned. "Now, we need someone to _extremely _stay with Sawada for the next 48 hours. Just to make sure he doesn't _extemely _pass out again or anything."

All the Guardians present opened their mouth to speak, but the Sun Guardian cut them off.

"Yamamoto, you're _extremely _staying with Sawada." Ryohei sighed at the amount of protest. He raised a hand and patiently waited for the protest to stop before he continued, "That someone going with Sawada has to be _extremely _physically capable of helping him if Sawada _extremely _faints again –not likely, but just in case. So that leaves Gokduera or Yamamoto." He turned to the silverette and explained, "As for you, Gokudera. You are Sawada's Right-Hand man, _extremely _making you basically the Second-in-Command of Vongola. So, while Sawada is not working, you have to be in charge. Therefore," Ryohei turned to the Rain Guardian, "Yamamoto will _extremely _be accompanying Sawada."

Gokudera scowled but nodded.

Satisfied, Ryohei nodded and excused himself quickly, claiming to check on the other Mafiosi in the medical ward.

As he did so, Tsuna's Hyper Intuition twitched and he frowned, eyes quickly catching what was pointed out to him. He kept that thought in his mind, waiting for the time to bring it up at a later date.

* * *

The Vongola Famiglia was split into six different divisions –Storm, Rain, Sun, Lightning, Cloud and Mist– each led by the respective Guardian. Only two divisions had a specialized task: Sun, the medical division, and Mist, the scouting and reconnaissance division. The remaining divisions did everything else, their duties equally divided by the four other Guardians.

Like all Vongola Guardians, Ryohei had paperwork to do.

Two years ago, after Tsuna had snapped at them for destroying yet another something or another, the Guardians had, in apology, worked out a system. Tsuna still had to do his usual paperwork, especially those that required his signature. The rest of it –mostly those for the destruction _they _caused; Gokudera would split them up equally between the Guardians –it was their way of compromising, after they had decided that it was probably impossible to stop the destruction– who would do it on top of their own paperwork.

As the Sun Guardian and the head of the Sun Division, Ryohei was in charge of Vongola's healers and taking care of the injured. So on top of his own paperwork –consisting mostly of equipment acquisition forms, individual treatment reports and stock reports– he also had the usual repair and bills to sign.

Which is why, after he entered his office after another round of patrol in the medical ward, he expected to see the same two piles of paperwork on his desk before he left on said patrol.

It wasn't.

In fact, he was a pile short, and he could have sworn the other pile was shorter than it previously was.

Ryohei frowned.

He knew he worked in the Mafia world, where crimes were aplenty, but… _who the hell steals __**paperwork**__?! _

Humming lightly to himself, he decided to head over to Gokudera's office, knowing that the Leader of the Guardians would have an idea –Gokudera may be bossy and quite honestly and secretly insanely possessive of Tsuna's attention, but he was definitely the most efficient person that Ryohei had met.

Still, Ryohei decided to prep himself mentally.

It had been a day since Tsuna woke up and was released from the medical ward, but there was a mandatory 24 hours remaining more before he could work, so Gokudera was handling most of the work. That meant that, with the added work _and _knowing that Yamamoto was accompanying Tsuna, Gokudera was likely to be twice –if not a few times– grumpier than normal.

He wasn't wrong.

"_What_." Gokudera barked without even looking up from the document he was reading.

"Umm." Ryohei muttered lamely. "Did… something happen?"

"What do you mean 'something happen', Lawn-Head?" Gokudera grumbled.

"My paperwork is _EXTREMELY _missing." Ryohei said.

"It's not missing, just displaced." Gokudera replied. "Don't worry about it. Just take care of your own stuff."

Gokudera still didn't look up, merely waving a hand at him dismissively, but somehow, Ryohei just knew that the silverette was hiding a knowing smirk behind those long silver locks.

Ryohei grinned and quietly left the office, slowly jogging back to his own. The Sun Guardian was about to open his own office door when his hand froze above the doorknob. He heard sounds in his office and gave a shrug –he often had people coming to his office; it was the second place to look for him if he wasn't in any of the gyms or training rooms. He entered his office and truly froze.

Because lounging there comfortably in one of his –admittedly comfortable– office sofa was one Sawada Tsunayoshi. Since he was not due for any work today, he had abandoned his usual neatly-pressed suit and instead sported a comfy light orange hoodie with a white '27' stitched in front –his favorite hoodie, given to him by none other than Sawada Nana on his eighteenth birthday– along with grey baggy pants.

Upon his entrance, Tsuna had turned to glance –no, _stare _at him with an intense look in his eyes.

Ryohei noted with a gulp where those caramel eyes, tinted with just the slightest bit of light orange, were focused on.

_He knows_.

"Sawada." Ryohei greeted, careful not to stutter. "What are you doing here? Is there something wrong _to the extreme_? Where's Yamamoto?"

Tsuna didn't miss a beat. "I'm here to visit you. No, nothing's wrong. Takeshi is off to bring Hayato something to eat –well, more importantly, _coffee_. Hayato has so many things to do at the moment. I was told he skipped breakfast _and _lunch."

"Ahh." Ryohei nodded and sat down on the couch, a seat away from Tsuna.

"So." Tsuna said, sitting up straighter in his seat. "When were you going to tell me?"

Ryohei cringed. "…Y-Yamamoto told you, didn't he?"

Tsuna nodded, not saying anything else.

Ryohei flinched. "I-It's _EXTREMELY _nothing, really."

"Ryo! You fractured _both _of your hands! It's not _'nothing'_!" Tsuna fumed.

Yamamoto only said that Ryohei's hands were injured, but the Vongola Decimo guessed the rest easily enough.

The warehouse was burning down, pillars and crates falling everywhere. Therefore, there was only one way that his Sun Guardian could be injured: He was the one who punched their way out. The repeated pressure on his knuckles from crushing the obstructions in their way out caused what is medically called a 'Boxer's fracture' in both of his hands. A fracture like that would take anywhere from two weeks to six weeks to recover –Tsuna would know; he spent the whole of last night reading up on it.

"You fight with your fists, Ryo… I-It's… It's not 'nothing'…" Tsuna mumbled.

"Sawada…" Ryohei murmured. "It's my mission to _destroy any misfortune attacking the Famiglia_, remember? It's not your fault."

"Reborn is right. I need more training. How could I have gotten kidnapped like that…?!" Tsuna gritted.

"Sawada." Ryohei called sternly. "It's alright. I've gotten this kind of fractures _extremely _lots of times. Especially when I just started boxing. So it's fine. Don't worry about it." Ryohei pointed to his desk as he continued, "See that over there? Gokudera _EXTREMELY _minimized my workload for me, you know. I bet all my missing paperwork is with the others right now –himself included."

"…_Ne_, Ryo…?" Tsuna called softly. "…Did you ever regret giving up boxing?"

Ryohei blinked at the question before breaking out into laughter. "I never gave up boxing, Sawada! Boxing is my _EXTREME_way of fighting, remember?" Ryohei grinned. "Besides, me and Lussuria still do _EXTRME _'official' matches every now and then. Actually, we had another one scheduled next week."

"You'll have to cancel that, then." Tsuna replied. "_Ano sa_… Why you went on to university to study medicine… Was it for us?"

"Yeah." Ryohei nodded. "My Sun flames' characteristic is Activation, commonly used for healing. So I thought, why not go all the way, right? Besides, it is a lot more convenient and efficient if one of the Guardians knows more than First-Aid, right?"

Tsuna was silent for a long while, quietly contemplating over Ryohei's words.

Then, quite suddenly, the Vongola Decimo threw himself into the unsuspecting Sun Guardian's arms.

"S-Sawada…?!" Ryohei wasn't sure how he should react to the sudden additional bundle in his arms.

Tsuna burrowed himself in the familiar warmth of his surrogate older brother. Quite honestly, Tsuna had no idea what came over him. He just had this urge to hug Ryohei tightly and never let go. As loyal as Gokudera is; as friendly as Yamamoto is; as adorable as Lambo is; as strong as Hibari; as gentle as Chrome is… None of them made him feel safer than Ryohei did. Perhaps it was because the Sun Guardian had declared himself Tsuna's adoptive older brother a long time ago –and _proceeded to prove it_; that's why Tsuna would choose to go to Ryohei when he needed reassurance.

Ryohei gave a small awkward smile as he hugged Tsuna back.

"…Do you remember, Ryo…?" Tsuna started softly. "A few years ago, me and Lambo simultaneously came down with a high fever. Hayato and Takeshi weren't as bad, but they had a fever of their own too. That time… even though you were in the middle of an important exam… You ran off halfway and came back to look after us. You were running between all of our rooms constantly…"

"Yeah. Gokudera and Yamamoto recovered quick, though." Ryohei replied.

"But me and Lambo took another day… It was the only day for a make-up, but you still didn't go. You stayed and watched after us… I never thanked you for that." Tsuna sniffled. "Thank you… Ryo-nii…"

"_Ba~ Ka._" Ryohei chided gently. "I'll always take care of all of you, no matter what. Even Hibari. You're all my family, you know."

"R-Ryo-nii… No…" Tsuna smiled. "_Onii-san…_!"

'_Ryo-nii… You are our Sun, lighting up the entire Sky. With you around, we are never afraid of the darkness. Thank you, our big brother.'_

* * *

A/N: _*holds up puny little shield against angry mob* _I'm sorry! I know this took a long time! Don't kill me! _*wails*_

**AHEM**. You remember how, back in Hibari's chapter, I said Hibari's chapter was hard because _a_. he hardly talks; and _b. _except for the first major arc of KHR (vs. Kokuyou Arc), we barely see that guy injured, if at all? Yeah. Apparently, Ryohei's chapter was _harder_. _*sighs*_

You see... When I started this project, I had a brief idea for each of the Guardian -how they're injured; roughly how the 'talk' is going to go.

I had _nada _for Ryohei.

I thought hard about it, ran my mind through the whole of KHR from start to finish, but I couldn't think of what Ryohei would be insecure or worried about. Yamamoto's we knew from Asari Ugetsu's trial; Lambo's and Chrome's both can be imagined; Hibari... Well. Hibari's is another issue altogether. But, Ryohei... I just couldn't think of anything. Which is why it kinda turned out to be Ryohei comforting Tsuna; because honestly, _that's _the only way it fitted for me.

Guess the two oldest Guardians aren't just the oldest for nothing, huh.

Truthfully, I had mixed feelings about how this chapter turned out, so feel free to tell me what you thought.

Now, I have not one, not two, but **three _important announcements_**.

**_First_ _of all_**, in my haste and excitement to post the last chapter (Chrome's), I forgot her end of chapter quote/thoughts thingamajig. It's posted now. Also, all of the previous chapters have been reread and re-edited for language, grammars. It's nothing major, so the only changes to take note of is Chrome's chapter.

**_Secondly_**... Well. I first started this project to explore Tsuna and his Guardian's relationship, especially after they have matured a few years. Therefore, there was initially seven chapters planned, for seven Vongola Guardians. Last chapter, I asked if you guys wanted an extra for Mukuro, to be posted _after _Tsuna's, and most –if not all of you– said yes. So, **yes, there will be an extra for Mukuro. **_Yay~_

_**Thirdly and**_** lastly**, again, because I started this project for Tsuna and his Guardians, this slipped my mind at the beginning. However, one of my reviewers, _Tiger723_, suggested/asked if I could do another bonus, this time for **Reborn**. So. QUESTION! Anyone wants an extra extra bonus for Reborn? This one will be posted _after _Mukuro's chapter, which is after Tsuna's. Just let me know in your reviews okay? :)_  
_

Wow. This author's note is long. Sorry about that.

Well, I'm off to write the next chapter. It's obvious, so I'm not gonna hide it –Gokudera's chapter! I'm actually looking forward to writing this. This, and Tsuna's, was the two chapters I'm pretty excited to write. (I was tempted to take a break from Ryohei's and start a bit on Gokudera's, honestly. :x)

Now then. Thank you for reading as always! You guys rock for all the reviews, favorites and follows!

Ciao Ciao~

**EDIT (09/01), Cont'd: **Again, credits to _dark-dreams-of-love _for pointing out a significant lack of EXTREMEs. Seeing, as Ryohei matured, his _extreme-ness _went down significantly. I didn't have him _extreme-ing _during missions or while explaining medical conditions, so that left the 'talk'. ...Which I _extremely _forgot. Sorry. :x


	6. Sixth Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**CHAPTER WARNING: **There may be medical inconsistency, such as degree of wound versus recovery time/survival rates. I've tried to do my research, but it's really hard to get a straight answer. Also bare in mind that in the KHR universe, we have Sun flames that can heal, so what is normally impossible might just be possible.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**Chapter Note: **Umm… Language warning again. Just one line or two. I'm sorry I had to resort to it.

* * *

**Sixth Time**

**Continuously at the heart of the attack, the furious Storm that never rests. **

**10****th**** Vongola Storm Guardian: Gokudera Hayato**

"Where the fuck are the fucking reinforcements?!" Gokudera shouted as he blasted another one of the countless Mafiosi around them into kingdom come.

His earpiece communicator crackled to life as the voice of his beloved Boss came in, _"Hayato. I know you're agitated but please, watch the language." _Tsuna grunted as he knocked another one of his assailants unconscious.

With how sensitive the earpiece was –it _was _Vongola technology, after all– he could hear the way Tsuna was breathing heavily –almost _panting_– in exertion. Being Don Vongola, Tsuna was naturally most, if not _all_ of the enemies' target. Despite the Guardians' efforts, the Vongola Decimo still got most of the enemies. Thankfully, as far as the Guardians could tell from all the screams and grunts in the background, Tsuna was still holding off rather well. Still, even though Tsuna's stamina had expanded immensely over the years, at the rate he was going, he was going to be exhausted.

_Fast_.

Gokudera muttered a few more choice words under his breath that were all caught up in the sensitive earpiece, earning himself another brief reprimand from his Boss. He quickly apologized before snarling and chucking another dozen dynamites behind him randomly.

"Mah, mah. _It's Hayato, after all." _Yamamoto spoke up, chuckling even as he knocked enemies out with the force of a torrential rain.

"_I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I can understand why Haya-nii is cursing so much." _Lambo sighed. The crackle of lightning was heard, not only through the earpiece, but also all around them. _"There's quite a lot of them for someone being ambushed." _

"_We _did _attack them at their headquarters." _Tsuna reminded. _"But still, there's still too many of them here for HQ on a regular day." _

"_You think they know we were coming?" _Ryohei asked.

"_Don't know. But I won't be surprised if they are." _Tsuna frowned. _"Also, Hayato is right. Our backup should have arrived by now." _

"…_Traffic jam?" _Yamamoto suggested innocently.

"What kind of idiot answer is that…?!" Gokudera shouted. He had stumbled a little at the answer, but he'd rather be damned than to admit it.

"_It's _extremely _possible." _Ryohei defended.

"_Herbivores." _Hibari's voice finally came. _"Radio silence. Shut. Up." _

"_Kufufufu… You're as impatient as always, little skylark." _

"…_Umm… Is that Mukuro?" _Yamamoto asked.

"_Dammit! Mukuro, Kyouya! You can fight later; just clear out these people first!" _Tsuna hurried to cut in. _"Please?" _

"_Ah well. These little people are rather annoying." _Mukuro sighed dramatically, the sounds of people screaming as their minds were torn to shreds coming in from behind.

"_I'll bite these tiny herbivores to death first." _Hibari growled lowly.

Gokudera heard Tsuna sigh in relief as he threw up another wad of dynamites.

The group was currently fighting off the Puccetti Famiglia.

There have been numerous rumors floating around in the Mafia recently about the barely decade-old Puccetti Famiglia. Tsuna had shifted the investigation into the Puccetti Famiglia into top priority ever since there has been a sensitive word going around. _Experimentation._

The Mafia may be cruel; the Mafia may be full of cold, heartless killers, but there was one thing and one thing only that no one in the Mafia will forgive.

_Illegal experimentation. Experimentation on __**humans**_.

And Vongola was on top of that list for obvious reasons.

Not only did Vongola Decimo have a kindhearted nature, a benevolence heart; but to the Tenth Don of Vongola, experimentation is an issue that hits close to home. After all, one of his Mist Guardian (the Mafia is still having a hard time acknowledging this) was a victim of such evil deeds.

Which is why when the alliance proposed to investigate into the Puccetti Famiglia, Tsuna had been the first to request the rights to do so. The other Families did not protest; merely assisted in the investigation, passing over all gathered intels to the Vongola Famiglia without question.

Gokudera could still remember it; the dark fury on his Boss's face when the results of the investigation was out. Tsuna had ordered all his Guardians into his office then and declared that they would be attacking the Puccetti Famiglia in three days' time, and that they were to make the necessary preparations. None of them were surprised at the order. They all knew that, while Tsuna disliked violence, the Vongola Decimo also understood that violence is unavoidable in the Mafia, and is sometimes necessary to make stubborn idiots listen.

Gokudera growled as he aimed his Flame Arrow and let the flames fly.

As they had discussed earlier, the Puccetti Famiglia was too prepared. (Gokudera made a mental note to investigate it further.) They were still on the path leading to the Puccetti Famiglia, yet to have reached their estate when the seven Vongola Guardians were assaulted. Sometime during the scuffle, the seven of them had broken up and were only able to communicate through their earpiece communicators, which were a mandatory for _anyone _during _any _Vongola missions, unless a valid request was put through to the Weapon & Tech Department, and approved by the Vongola Decimo himself. (It certainly increased the paperwork Tsuna needed to do, but the Don Vongola would rather suffer _that _than risk any one of his Family members to get into danger on their missions.)

It has been quite a while since then.

Gokudera didn't know how long, but he _did_ listen carefully to every single huff, puff and pant coming through from the earpiece. It was easy to tell that all of the Guardians, no matter how well-trained in combat they were, were all getting rather tired. Even Mukuro and Hibari were breathing in more deeply, trying to get as much oxygen as possible in one breath. Gokudera himself was _actually _running low on dynamites for once –_he_, Smokin' Bomb Hayato, with bombs hidden all over his body, was _running low on dynamites_. Not to mention his Dying Will flames are at an all-time low as well. (A small part of his mind pondered over how is it that one can actually 'run low on Dying Will flames', considering that the Flames are a manifestation of their wills and determination. It was an interesting problem; one that he'll solve later –_after _they are done dispatching the Puccetti Famiglia.)

"_Hey…" _Yamamoto spoke up, his voice heavy with exhaustion. _"Are they… finally getting lesser?" _

"_I can… see Ryo-nii in the distance…" _Lambo muttered.

"_Good. We can start meeting up." _Tsuna instructed. _"Lambo, Ryohei, you two pair up. Kyouya, Mukuro, we'll take care of the ones here. I'm giving you two an all-access pass to wreak havoc in the Puccetti Famiglia HQ. Have fun." _

"Jyuudaime, I think I see you." Gokudera called out.

He wasn't wrong. He'd learned to recognize that unruly mop of brown hair almost instinctively over the years, and the Storm Guardian was certainly seeing it now.

Tsuna was surrounded by countless of bodies; a good number of them already unconscious, the remaining still attacking him with a whole range of weapons –flame-charged guns, crossbows, knives, daggers… some were even bare-fisted, but supported by other equipment or even Box Animals. Tsuna had not worn his signature cloak today –the cloak was a collective gift from all six (seven) of his Guardians, for his inheritance of the Vongola Famiglia; an exact replica of the one his ancestor and predecessor, Vongola Primo, had worn, right down to the twin golden chains that held the cloak together; and so was too precious to be ruined in a scuffle– and had dropped the suit jacket. What he had left was a black pinstripe waistcoat over an orange dress shirt and silk black tie, matched with black suit pants –all of which were torn here and there with some barely visible wounds peeking through from behind.

Gokudera let himself be distracted for a moment or two as he took a quick account of the Vongola Decimo's injuries. It wasn't much honestly; some minor cuts and lacerations, caused by either knives or bullets grazing him. Still, Gokudera snarled at their enemies for even daring to hurt his precious Boss. He swore to get revenge and with that one _simple_ thought, the Storm Guardian could already feel the furious storm he was named for began to rouse within him. His Dying Will flared, wilder than ever, as he began to attack at their enemies with renewed vigor.

Gokudera continued to take stock of the surroundings as he attacked. He found Yamamoto a distance away from Lambo and Ryohei, who had paired up as per Tsuna's orders. All three were holding up well; they were all scratched up, but there were no major injuries to be seen. Both the Rain and Sun Guardian had summoned their Box Animals: Koujirou either double-teaming with Yamamoto or spraying Rain flames from above; Kangaryuu (He still thought the name was stupid, but he decided against complaining, knowing that it was a lost cause) going back-to-back with her Master, effectively covering each other's blind spots. Lambo had fixed on his horns since the very beginning, but had resorted to throwing out grenades in the way that Gokudera would with his dynamites. (Gokudera was secretly proud that the young Lightning Guardian had taken his teachings so well, but he wasn't going to say that. Lambo would have been gloating _forever_.)

Mukuro and Hibari were nowhere to be seen, but judging from the explosions in the near distance, the duo had probably taken Tsuna's orders into account and starting destroying the Puccetti Famiglia's HQ to their hearts' content. Their carnage was still visible; half of the unconscious men were either badly bruised or bleeding from the mouth, the other half looking like they simply passed out and suffered from a horrible, _horrible _nightmare (knowing Mukuro, it was probably much, _much _worse, but Gokudera wasn't going to imagine).

As the Storm Guardian pushed himself more and more, he suddenly caught something out of the corner of his eyes.

A gun.

For a split moment, he wondered why he was noticing a _gun_; a _normal _gun in the middle of a Mafia scuffle. Guns weren't uncommon in the Mafia; heck, even _he _carried a silver gun with him.

Then he saw _it_.

The gun was aiming at _Tsuna's unprotected back_.

Gokudera moved. There was no question as to what he was going to do; no hesitation in his movement as he moved to do what his illogical heart decided over the conclusion his highly logical mind had.

A few weeks later, Gokudera would question himself why he didn't just shoot the bastard with his Flame Arrow. It was, after all, fast enough.

That same week, Gokudera would tell himself that it wouldn't matter; even if it happened again, he will no doubt do the same.

Not even his beloved Boss's feelings would change his decision.

* * *

Tsuna was tired –_dead _tired.

Like all of his Guardians, his flames were running low, and there were just too many enemies for him to actually have enough time to absorb some flames for himself.

The enemies seemed to be endless.

One down and another would take his place –almost like a video game; except that if he lost concentration for even one moment, it's game over for him. Forever.

Tsuna's body was pained and aching (he would definitely feel it tomorrow –heck, he'd feel it _tonight_), but he forced himself to go on. He called on his Dying Will again and again and again, holding on with all his physical and mental strength. _Do it will your Dying Will_, his tutor would have said.

And so he did.

Still, the exhaustion was taking a toll on him. His Hyper Intuition was getting duller and duller as he was losing concentration with every bit of exhaustion, and as a result, he was getting more and more hits. He still managed to dodge the attacks, but they still cut and graze. At the rate he was going, he will definitely end up with a stab wound or a gunshot.

And just when he thought that, a weight slammed into him from behind, knocking him into the ground.

Tsuna grunted and automatically shifted to defend against his newest assailant when his Hyper Intuition suddenly reared back up with a red-alert alarm in his subconscious. Tsuna snapped his eyes opened (when had he closed them?) and glanced down to see a very familiar mop of silver hair. He frowned when his Right-Hand man didn't immediately get off him and apologize profusely as he normally would. His eyebrows furrowed further when the red-alert alarm was still ringing loudly in his mind.

Tsuna shifted again to help Gokudera off him, when he felt something off with his gloves. They were still in their active state, but it felt… _slicker_, dare he say. He was drenched in sweat from the long scuffle, but the feeling was off. Tsuna brought up a hand to check and then he froze.

_Blood. _

Eyes widened in horror, Tsuna quickly looked down, turning Gokudera onto his side.

Even with the wine red dress shirt, it was clear. The blood pooling around Gokudera's abdomen.

_A gunshot wound._

Had there even been a gunshot? Tsuna couldn't remember. There were numerous, _countless _gunshots ringing across the area that it had morphed into a background noise a long time ago.

And now, because of his carelessness, his Right-Hand man was _shot_.

Not only that…

…as Tsuna continued to be stunned, Gokudera was **bleeding out**.

_**Dying**_.

"RYOHEI!"

"_What?" _

"H-Hayato… Hayato is shot!" Tsuna stammered into the earpiece.

"_WHAT?! Where?!" _Ryohei immediately inquired.

"Stomach. Abdomen. I don't know if it hit anything!" Tsuna rambled out. "He's bleeding out, Ryo! Do something…!"

"_I'm coming over. Meanwhile, apply pressure over the wound. Is the bullet in him?" _Ryohei asked.

Tsuna could hear Ryohei talking to Lambo; something about covering him to where the duo was, but it barely registered in Tsuna's mind. "I can't! I still have enemies around me! I don't know if the bullet is in him or not!" Tsuna shouted out as he spun around to knock away another enemy sneaking up on him.

"_Listen to me, Sawada! Stop panicking! It's going to be alright. I'll save Gokudera. I swear it on my life." _Ryohei said reassuringly.

Tsuna wasn't sure if he really believed Ryohei, but he felt a little more relieved by the Sun Guardian's words.

"_Focus on defending yourself and Gokudera. I'm almost there." _Ryohei continued.

Tsuna nodded to no one but himself as he took on a defensive stance.

The Puccetti Famiglia Mafiosi were surprised by the sudden change in the Vongola Decimo's demeanor. Tsuna was still as calm as before, as though he didn't just go into shock at seeing his Right-Hand man shot down before him.

Then, the Mafiosi realized.

The Vongola Decimo wasn't just calm. He was _eerily _calm.

Tsuna stood in front of Gokudera, who lay still on the ground with a pool of blood rapidly expanding beneath him. The Don Vongola's face was tilted down; his bangs swung forward, hiding the honey amber orbs within the shadows. His entire posture was stiff and tensed, like a blood-thirsty predator ready to strike.

And strike he did.

The Puccetti Famiglia Mafiosi barely saw Tsuna move at all.

In an instant, the Vongola Decimo was already in front of them, eyes a brilliant golden as he swung a gloved-covered fist down, knocking the nearest person in front of him unconscious. Barely pausing for breath, Tsuna moved on to the next person, methodically knocking his enemies.

Tsuna couldn't see; couldn't _think_; couldn't **_feel_**.

He moved on autopilot, too enraged to care. He let his Dying Will, overcame by pure, unadulterated fury to take over, destroying everything in its path. Tsuna's blood was boiling; his heart was racing; his adrenaline levels were shooting through the roof.

But none of it mattered.

The Puccetti Famiglia had hurt Gokudera. His Right-Hand man; his Storm Guardian; one of his _best friends_… his _**family**_.

And that was **unforgivable**.

Tsuna's senses didn't come back to him until a hand gripped one of his wrists tightly.

Still on autopilot, Tsuna spun around, using his free hand to lash out at his attacker, only for that hand to be gripped firmly too.

Tsuna snarled, golden eyes glaring harshly at his attacker, his eyes immediately taking in the sight of a set of stormy blue as well as mismatched orbs of ruby and sapphire narrowed at him, both in annoyance and –dare he say it– _concern_?

"K-Kyouya… Mukuro…"

Tsuna panted harshly for breath. His Dying Will flame slowly died out and his gloves morphed back into their dormant state. Golden eyes faded back to caramel brown as the widened eyes glanced around himself.

The bodies littered around him, some in piles, others alone in all sorts of positions.

It was then did he notice.

"Where's–"

Mukuro's exasperated sigh cut him off. "Honestly. How lost are you?"

Tsuna frowned.

Hibari's eyes narrowed further, "Gokudera Hayato is already on his way back for treatment."

"Yamamoto Takeshi and the annoying cow are escorting them back. We're the only ones left here." Mukuro finished. "…Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"I know…" Tsuna mumbled softly. "I'm sorry I lost it."

"You know the risk of losing to your will." Hibari warned. "I won't hesitate to bite you to death the next time."

"Yes." Tsuna says simply.

He knew his mistake was grave. Losing oneself to their Dying Will is not a matter to kid about. That was one of the things that his tutor had drilled into him from the very beginning. _Always be in control of your emotions. Stay calm, and do not _ever _lose your own will. _Tsuna repeated that to himself every time he slipped into his Hyper Dying Will mode.

But he had let his rage control him. He would need to be punished, but that's not his current priority.

"L-Let's hurry back." Tsuna said.

He ignored the twin burning gazes boring into his back as he hurried towards the where the last car they came in awaited.

* * *

"How is he?!"

Yamamoto didn't know how, but he somehow managed to stumble in his seat at the frantic voice.

Beside him, Lambo spun in his seat to turn to the open end of the hallway, "T-Tsuna-nii!"

Tsuna barely spared a nod in acknowledgement, turning to Yamamoto hurriedly. "How is he?!"

"They're still working on him." Yamamoto answered. "_Sempai _is in there with him. Hayato lost a lot of blood on the way here, so…"

Tsuna's eyes widened in horror as the words sank in.

Without another word, the Vongola Decimo tore through the double doors beneath the daunting red light, ignoring the cries of his name behind him. Tsuna registered the sound of several sets of footsteps following him behind frantically, but he shoved all thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on running through the pristine white halls. It didn't help that the hallways were not labeled, since the only people allowed access were the medics, who were all familiar with their workplace. However, Tsuna, with his Hyper Intuition focused to the maximum, had little to no problems navigating the unmarked hallways, eventually finding the room he needed.

_Observation Room._

Tsuna slammed the door open and pressed himself to the full-length clear glass panel immediately, staring down at the ongoing operation below.

Gokudera lay, almost lifelessly, on the operating room table. Covered with the mandatory gown, the only parts visible were his eerily pale face and his abdomen, which was covered in blood. The operation room was filled with various machines that Tsuna didn't know about, except for the ones that monitored heart rates and vitals. Ryohei was, along with two other certified doctors and a few other assistants, working on Gokudera. Tsuna could see a blood-covered bullet sitting innocently on a metal dish by the side, and he felt his heart clench at the sight.

That bullet… That _single _bullet was the cause of his Storm Guardian laying there on the operating table, fighting for his life.

Tsuna felt his tears prickling at him as he stood there, clenched fists pressed tightly against the almost brutally cold glass, watching helplessly as the doctors worked frantically to save the silverette.

_God_, he had _never _felt _so __**fucking **_**useless**.

It was getting hectic down there, and he couldn't do a single thing but _watch_.

Tsuna's mind was blanking out. He could barely register the familiar tug of his Hyper Intuition as his mind tried to catch on with what his eyes were seeing.

_Gokudera was __**dying**__. His heart was starting to give up. He's __**DYING**__._

And at that moment, Tsuna thought his own heart had stopped.

Yamamoto's frantic attempt to calm the others down; Lambo's cries of his _"Haya-nii"_; Chrome's vain attempts at muffling her sobs; Hibari's fist slamming hard into the wall behind him…

It all became a mix of white noise to him.

Tsuna lost all his strength in his legs, falling down on his knees. Fear and despair ate through him as Tsuna slammed his fists against the clear glass, not caring that the sudden sound startled every single person present –from his Guardians to the doctors to the assistants… He didn't care anymore.

Tsuna screamed.

A scream out of sheer desperation and despair.

A scream that sounded like _pure agony_.

"_DAMMIT, Hayato! Don't you __**dare**__ die on me! I never allowed you to die!" _

His tears were choking him. His throat felt painfully tight and raw. But it didn't matter.

"_You hear me, Hayato?! __**DON'T LEAVE ME! **_**THAT'S AN ORDER!**_" _

Yamamoto swallowed down his own tears as he hugged Lambo tightly. The teen was sobbing uncontrollably, calling for Gokudera over and over again. Chrome slumped against the far wall, her tears streaming down her cheeks as she covered her mouth with two hands. Hibari clenched the fist buried in the wall, his eyes narrowed at the operating table below.

That howl was something they never expected from the brunette.

The gut-wrenching scream that could freeze their blood broke their hearts.

"_**HAYATOOOOOO**__!" _

There was nothing they could do.

And so they prayed.

* * *

It has been a week since then.

Tsuna had spent the first three days locked in his bedroom, ignoring the periodic knocks on his door or the calls of his name as he buried himself under the thick covers. The events played over and over again, and he spent every waking moment pondering his every decision.

_Did he do the right thing in ordering the ambush?_

_Was it his fault to assume that an ambush would work?_

_Why didn't he bring more people to begin with?_

Tsuna thought over it endlessly, yet he couldn't find a single answer.

It was on the fourth day that Ryohei broke his bedroom door down and, with Yamamoto's help, yanked him over to the dining room, ordering him to eat or they will force-feed him. Tsuna did, but only enough to get the Sun Guardian (who also doubled as their nutritionist) off his back.

It was also on the fourth day that Tsuna started burying himself in work. He did his paperwork faithfully; arranged and went for meeting as usual; and he even took it upon himself to watch over the Storm division, taking over the jobs that _he _normally did.

His remaining Guardians were worried, of course.

Yamamoto had stepped up as the Second-in-Command of the Guardians even as he watched Tsuna closely. Lambo started spending more time with Tsuna. He didn't demand the Vongola Decimo play with him, and instead started doing his work –be it homework or paperwork– in Tsuna's office (although he suspected that the brunette didn't even know that he was there half the time). Chrome, on the other hand, secretly started to take note of Tsuna's mental state, relaying her reports to Ryohei, who was constantly running in between. Hibari barely demanded that Tsuna spar with him, knowing that it was pointless to fight someone without a heart. Instead, he had gone on to investigate the Puccetti Famiglia further, taking care of any and all of their background supporters.

Tsuna knew his Guardians were worried.

Tsuna knew he couldn't go on like this forever.

But he couldn't bring himself to.

He just _couldn't_.

And so he lived his days, behaving almost like a robot or a zombie. He lived on with a routine.

_Wake up, breakfast, paperwork/meeting, paperwork/meeting, skip lunch, paperwork/meeting, small dinner, paperwork, sleep. _

Rinse and repeat.

It was _3 weeks, 4 days, 16 hours, 27 minutes and 59 seconds _later when it finally happened.

And Tsuna _ran_.

* * *

The route to his destination was ingrained in his mind by now.

It was a relatively new destination, but he'd been there enough time to remember it by heart.

Tsuna headed out of the front gate of the Vongola estate, exiting into the surrounding forest, following the familiar route to a small clearing in the forest. Since he stepped out of the mansion, the sky had been getting darker and darker; a premonition of an oncoming storm.

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation –there hadn't been even a _single _drop of rain for the past three weeks, much less a storm.

_How fitting_, he thought.

Tsuna approached the only thing in the small clearing –a grave. The grave had a small headstone that was unmarked; a small slab of stone that served only to indicate its position, but not who it was for. Tsuna knelt down in front of it and closed his eyes in silent prayer. That done, Tsuna reached out and gently caressed the stone marker, his eyes softening ever so lightly at the sight.

"How are you today? Still enjoying yourself? Then again, you never did like sitting around, did you?" Tsuna chuckled softly. "_Ne_… He… He…" Tsuna swallowed, feeling the tears well up in his eyes again.

It was at that precise moment that the rain started falling. Within mere moments, the small rain morphed into a heavy storm, with the occasional lightning flashing across the skies. Tsuna was thoroughly drenched, his soaked clothes weighing down on him. His hair, wet from the rain, plastered themselves against his face uncomfortably, but Tsuna barely paid them any attention, merely reaching up to wipe away the ones poking him in the eye.

"…He's awake…!" Tsuna choked out. "But… But I… I can't see him. I can't. I… I just…" Tsuna felt the rain intermixing with his tears. "…I can't… I can't face him. I… _Gosh_. I sound so lame right now." He managed a chuckle. "I can't imagine what you will do to me right now…"

Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut as he let his head fall to his chest. He gripped the slab of stone tightly, as if anchoring himself to the ground.

"I can't run away from this forever; I know." Tsuna murmured. "So… Please forgive me this time… _Ne_?"

Tsuna didn't know how long he was there in the rain. He babbled on continuously about random subjects to the slab of stone, all to distract him from the current issue plaguing his mind.

"–the other day, Lamb–" Tsuna paused. The rain had stopped pouring from him, but his hand was still dripping wet. He didn't turn, nor did he look up. Tsuna wasn't surprised; he already heard the footsteps. It was much easier to catch the sound of footsteps in a rainy forest than normal, after all.

"…Boss… Let's go back… You'll get sick…"

Tsuna didn't move.

"Boss… _Hare _wouldn't be happy… _Ame _and _Kaminari _are worried too… And _Arash_–"

"–_Please_." Tsuna interrupted. "…Just… Just a while more." Tsuna swallowed. "I'll go back. Just… let me stay with him… for a little while more…"

Chrome could easily tell; Tsuna's mind was a like a furious storm of emotions, wild and unstable. And so, the Mist Guardian tightened the hold on the umbrella, gently and quietly shielding her Boss from the harsh, bitter rain. It was all she could do for now.

And in Tsuna's eyes, it was already enough.

* * *

Tsuna didn't know why, but somehow, his visits always took place at night.

Maybe it was because more than half of the Mafiosi had already returned to their own homes, the remaining ones sleeping in their own rooms and that the only ones awake are the guards and medics on nightshift –even his own Guardians, those who are in the estates, are asleep. (Usually, Tsuna was the last to sleep.)

Nodding to the medics on nightshift, Tsuna headed past the first few private wards and entered the last one on the right. He shut the door quietly and sat down in the bedside chair. The periodic beep of the heart monitor was a soothing sound to Tsuna as he watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. A small part of Tsuna couldn't even believe the sight he was seeing.

After they had almost lost him, he was stuck in a coma due to the amount of blood he had lost and well as the severity of his wound.

It had been three weeks since then. _3 weeks, 4 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes, 18 seconds and counting_.

Tsuna had kept it from the others, but he has yet to have a good night's sleep for the past three weeks. He had spent the past twenty-five nights in his bed, either sitting upright awake, watching the night sky slowly turn bright, or being stuck in never-ending nightmares of that fateful day. Chrome had confronted him twice; the first time by herself, the second by using Mukuro (who had realized far sooner than his Mist Guardian counterpart), but Tsuna had managed to brush them off (he considered it quite a feat to brush off Mukuro, honestly).

"…Jyuu… dai… me…?"

Tsuna jerked in his seat. He glanced over to see piercing emeralds staring at him with surprise and relief. Tsuna swallowed.

"H-Hayato…"

Gokudera grunted as he tried to sit up. Tsuna hurried to help him up, afraid that the silverette would hurt himself further. Once settled, Tsuna sat back down and glanced at his Right-Hand man. He clenched a fist subconsciously when he saw that Gokudera was perspiring from simply trying to sit up.

"…H-How… How are you feeling?" Tsuna forced himself to ask.

"I'm alright, Jyuudaime." Gokudera replied quietly. "My side is supposed to hurt pretty badly, but Ryohei gave me painkillers, so I don't feel it."

"…Do you–"

"–Yeah. Ryohei told me about the damage. Takeshi told me… how long I've been…" Gokudera paused uncomfortably. "…in a coma…"

Tsuna fell silent again, glancing down at his lap.

Gokudera stared nervously at Tsuna. He had expected his Boss to give him a hard long lecture (Ryohei already gave him one –he swore his eardrums were about the burst. A small part of him was grateful that the wards are were soundproofed, but he was pretty sure the sound still travelled out…); not… _this_. Sitting there silently, not saying a single thing. Not even looking at him, actually. Almost as if…

Gokudera frowned.

…almost as if… Tsuna was feeling… _guilty_.

"Jyuudaime… I-I… I'm sorry."

Tsuna's head snapped towards him. "What for?"

"For worrying you. And everyone else." Gokudera answered. "Takeshi told me you have been handling the work for the Storm Division. Thank you."

"You're my Right-Hand man and my Storm Guardian. It's natural that I would do so. There's no need to thank me." Tsuna replied.

"Jyuudaime, if you don't mind me asking… Where… Where were you this afternoon…" Gokudera swallowed. "…when I woke up…?"

"…I was visiting. Him." Tsuna answered.

"I… I see." Gokudera nodded slowly.

They both knew that they were dancing around the issue. Yet, neither of them wanted to bring it up, despite knowing that if they did not work out this issue, things will never return to the same as before. Both had a feeling that it wouldn't turn out well.

Gokudera stared at Tsuna intently. He knew his next words will most likely piss his beloved Boss off, but he still had to say it. Strengthening his resolve, Gokudera started, "Jyuudaime… Please… Please don't blame yourself. It is not your fault."

As expected, Tsuna narrowed his eyes at him dangerously, a tinge of orange seeping into his eyes. "You got that wound because you were protecting me, Hayato. Whose fault could it be but mine?!"

"Why do we have to make someone at fault? Why can't it just be a mistake?" Gokudera argued.

"Is it?" Tsuna questioned, staring hard at Gokudera. "Is it a mistake, Hayato?"

Gokudera stood his ground, never once turning away from Tsuna. "…No. It was a choice. _My _choice."

"…What are you saying?" Tsuna gritted out.

"…Jyuudaime… knows very well what I'm saying." Gokudera replied softly. "If the situation that day happens again… I will not hesitate to become your shield."

"_Don't __**joke **__with me_!" Tsuna snarled, jumping out his seat. He glared down at Gokudera harshly as he bit out, "I nearly lost you that day, Hayato. You nearly **died**!"

"I assure you, Jyuudaime, I am most certainly _not _joking." Gokudera answered defiantly. "If the situation happens again, I _will _protect you. Even at the cost of my life."

"_**Why**_?!" Tsuna demanded. "Just because I am Vongola Decimo?! Just because I'm your Boss?!"

"Yes." Gokudera nodded.

"And if I wasn't?" Tsuna questioned.

"I will still do so." Gokudera answered.

"Why…?!" Tsuna gritted.

"_Because_…!" Gokudera paused and swallowed, before continuing in a softer, calmer tone, "…Because… more than anyone else, Jyuudaime… _You are my Sky_."

Tsuna's eyes widened. His eyes were a mix of shock and confusion as he stared at Gokudera, who glanced back at him firmly with soft cerulean orbs.

"Jyuudaime… I… After my own mother died… I trusted no one. Why would I? No one ever told me the truth. They only fed me lies for their own amusement and stupid rules. They looked down on me just because I was a half-breed. That's why… That's why, back then, I thought… If I could kill the one who would become Vongola Decimo… I'd finally get recognized." Gokudera admitted quietly. "Jyuudaime, back then… I _really _wanted to kill you."

Tsuna nodded slowly as he digested the words.

"…But… you saved me, Jyuudaime." Gokudera said softly. "Jyuudaime, who knew nothing of me; who only knew me as the person who wanted to kill him, saved me."

"That was the effect of the Dying Will bullet…" Tsuna murmured.

"The Dying Will bullet only gave you the abilities to save me, Jyuudaime. You truly wanted to save me, Jyuudaime… And the Dying Will bullet granted you the abilities to do so." Gokudera explained. "…You didn't know me, but you saved me unconditionally. I know they said it was puppy love for you. I don't disagree, but honestly, it really was more than that for me." Gokudera smiled –really smiled; not a taunting smirk, or a patronizing grin, but a_ true, sincere_ smile. "Jyuudaime taught me that it was alright to trust people. All of you –Baseball Idiot, Stupid Cow, Lawn-Head… even Chrome, Mukuro and Hibari… all of you taught me what it really means to be a family. Not that stupid Famiglia my father was proud of. That's why…" Gokudera swallowed. "…That why Jyuudaime is my Sky."

"You idiot…" Tsuna sobbed. "Hayato… Have you not realized it at all…?" Tsuna sniffled. "Hayato… You are my _first _friend…!"

Gokudera's eyes widened.

"I'm Dame-Tsuna, remember? No one wants to be friends with me… He started as my tutor and didn't count. But you…" Tsuna managed a smile. "You were my first friend…! You stayed by my side from the very beginning… You were the first… First to see something beyond the clumsy idiot I was… Hayato… you mean _so _much to me…!"

"J-Jyuudaime…" Gokudera felt his throat tighten unbearably.

"I was… I was _so _scared… Scared that I was going to lose you that day… Scared that I'd lose the person that I cared about so much… I felt so _helpless_. I… I lost it that day, Hayato…!" Tsuna cried. "Hayato… I already lost _him_… I can't… I can't lose you! I can't bear losing any one of you! I… I'll _break_…!"

"Jyuudaime…!" Gokudera swallowed.

"_Please_…" Tsuna choked out. "Please… don't leave me ever again… Please…"

"Jyuudaime…" Gokudera reached out and pulled Tsuna gently towards him. The brunette buried himself into his Right-Hand man's chest and sobbed. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for scaring you, Jyuudaime… I'm sorry… Sorry…" Gokudera murmured. "I want to protect you, Jyuudaime… I wished that I could protect you forever, even if I got hurt. But I know how Jyuudaime feels now… That's why… I won't be so reckless anymore… I'll stay by Jyuudaime's side forever… I won't leave ever again… I promise."

'_Hayato… You've grown to become a very capable Storm Guardian; a competent Right-Hand man. I don't need anything else from you, my furious Storm. All I ask is that you stay by my side –stay by _our _side till the end. That's all I need, Hayato. Nothing more.'_

* * *

A/N: I was at a conflict here, not because I was unsatisfied with this chapter, but because I had another scene planned out. But when I wrote it, it felt more fitting to end it here, and so I did. But I still wanted to share that scene with you guys, and so I wrote it in the omake below. Please enjoy.

* * *

_Omake~_

_~Extra Scene_

"Jyuudaime? Exactly where are we going?" Gokudera asked.

Beside him, Tsuna grinned. "Just come with me, Hayato."

It has been more than a month, nearly two months, since the accident.

Gokudera's side was healing well, according to Ryohei. The bullet had hit his kidney and was stuck in his body. After a few grueling hours of operation, the bullet was removed and the shot kidney was preserved. Ryohei had said that Gokudera would have to be watched thoroughly from then on, as his renal function was impaired. Because muscles and blood vessels were hit by the bullet, it was impossible for Gokudera to make a full recovery, but physical therapy would help greatly.

From then on, Gokudera was accompanied by at least one Guardian (including Tsuna, the Vongola Sky Guardian) from morning breakfast to until he went to sleep. There were mainly two jobs for the accompanying Guardian: to watch Gokudera carefully for any signs of discomfort (which will have to be reported to Ryohei _immediately)_ and to keep him off the cigarettes.

It was rather annoying to Gokudera, since he wasn't even cleared to leave the _fucking bed _(in his words); but since it was actually an order from Tsuna (to have a Guardian accompanying him, not to not leave the bed), the Storm Guardian couldn't do anything about it. (Well, actually he _could_; he was sure that Tsuna would give him some leeway, but he couldn't bring himself to bring it up to Tsuna, so he was stuck).

He was finally allowed to walk in his ward for a few minutes each after a month and to _finally _leave the ward to recover in his own room three days ago. (Gokudera could have _hugged _Ryohei for it, but he wouldn't. Not because he was afraid of injuring his still-tender wound again, but because it would have been too mortifying for him to live it down.)

It was during breakfast when Tsuna declared that he was accompanying Gokudera today, and right after breakfast that the Vongola Decimo dragged him to…

…Actually, he _still _didn't know where Tsuna was dragging him to.

They were still in the mansion, but they were heading to a part of the mansion that was rarely used.

"Ahh. Here we go." Tsuna announced. The brunette grinned at him again and gently nudged him towards the door. "Go on."

Despite his absolute faith and trust in his Boss, Gokudera couldn't help but glanced at Tsuna skeptically, somewhat afraid to do as told.

Tsuna sighed, "There is nothing in there that will bite you or mentally scar you." Then, Tsuna pulled out the trump card. "Don't you trust me, Hayato?" Tsuna pouted.

Gokudera groaned. It was not fair. The Vongola Decimo _knew _he trusted Tsuna one-hundred-percent, and _boy_, was he abusing that trust right now.

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Gokudera took hold of the door handle and pushed it open.

Gokudera froze.

From what his barely functioning mind could remember, the room they were in used to be an old meeting room that was not used for a very long time, since new meeting rooms had long since been built. The meeting room was thoroughly cleaned; the meeting room table and chair all removed. What was left… was a _studio_.

No. Rather…

It was a _music room_.

There were two, brand new couches that lined the back and the side opposite to where the windows were. At the front, in the corner near the window sat a grand piano. It looked brand-new, yet Gokudera couldn't help but feel that there was something nostalgic about it.

Gokudera felt his throat tighten.

"Do… Do you like it…?" Tsuna spoke up quietly, his voice sounding almost timid.

"This… I…" Gokudera stammered. "…Yes." He breathed. "Yes, I… I like it." Gokudera said. "Umm, that piano…"

"Oh! That piano…" Tsuna blushed faintly. "I, uhh, went to your father, actually. I asked him for the piano that you used to play and had that shipped here. I guess it probably had to be tuned, so I, uhh, went to Bianchi for help. She helped me find a proper musician to tune it, so it's ready to play." Tsuna paused momentarily before continuing sheepishly, "…I hope."

Gokudera slowly stepped towards the piano. With hands that were almost shaking, he reached out for the cover of the keyboard and lifted it up, before experimentally pressing a random key.

"It's… It's tuned." Gokudera said softly, still in shock at such a gift.

Suddenly, two hands rested themselves on either side of his shoulder, urging him to sit down at the piano.

Gokudera did.

"…_Ne_, Hayato…?" Tsuna called, almost hesitantly. "Will you… play something for me…?"

Gokudera froze.

Ever since his mother had passed away, he had turned away from the piano. The piano held memories that were precious, yet painful. That's why, instead of continuing to honor the woman who taught him the piano, Gokudera had shunned away, choosing instead to lock the memories deep within him.

"…Wh-What… What would Jyuudaime like to hear?"

"Ehh?" Tsuna blinked. "_Eto… _Well, choose whatever you like, I guess. Apparently, music is not part of the Boss education, so Reborn never taught me. And, umm… I'm kinda ashamed to say this, but I failed music in school…" Tsuna blushed.

Gokudera couldn't help but chuckle.

"H-Hayato…!" Tsuna pouted.

"S-Sorry, Jyuudaime." Gokudera smiled. "Then… let me play something that I like. A song that I used to play with her every time she came."

Tsuna didn't need any clarifications. Instead, he took a step back and let Gokudera play.

The piece he played was neither sad nor happy. It was a piece that spoke of love yet with a tinge of nostalgia. Tsuna let himself be lost in the music, a small smile spreading across his face.

Gokudera's fingers flew across the keyboards gracefully, like a ballerina dancing in the spotlight. To be honest, Gokudera couldn't remember the entire piece; his fingers were simply playing on their own, as though out of muscle memory.

Every note, every piece…

It brought him back to the time when his mother was alive.

Back then, meeting that lady and playing the piano with her was the only thing that he looked forward to every month.

To know, only after her death, that that lady was, in fact, his mother… Gokudera had never hated his father and the Mafia so much. He never told anyone, but part of the reason why he swore off the piano –besides the fact that the memories and regrets were too much to bare– was because he wanted revenge on the Mafia who murdered his mother in cold blood, and who looked down on him because he was a half-blood and a musician.

Thinking back now, Gokudera thought that he should probably thank the Mafia, ironically.

Yes, he still hated them for causing his mother's death, but it was because of them that he found himself meeting Tsuna –the second person who had ever meant anything to him; the first being his mother.

That's why… Gokudera played.

And he was happy.

He loved the piano –no, he _still_ **loves** it; he had never stopped loving it.

It was one of the things that he was proud of; one of the things that he was recognized for, even if it was by one person only –now two, of course.

He was happy.

"Th_at_ was _bril_liant_, Haya_to. You are _so good_ at play_ing the _pia_no_. Th_ank _yo_u_."

Gokudera couldn't help it; he broke down.

Tsuna didn't say anything. He quietly reached out and embraced Gokudera from behind, letting the silverette finally, _finally _mourn for the lost of his mother, fifteen years later.

* * *

**Note #1: **If you're wondering why that last spoken line had such a weird font type, no, I was not high on something when I wrote it. It's because that line that Tsuna said was the exact same line that Gokudera's mother, Lavina, said to him during one of their lessons. The awkward font was my pathetic attempt to do one of those anime reality-cross-memory kind of scene, in word. Normal is present (Tsuna speaking) and italics is past (Lavina speaking). I… hope you can imagine it.

It not, just take it that I was high on something. :x

**Note #2: **If you're wondering what Gokudera was playing (yes, I did have a piece in mind when I wrote this), it was _Dearly Beloved_, the theme music of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. There are currently... 11 official versions of this song, if I'm not wrong. There wasn't a particular version in mind when I wrote this (I had all the versions that I had playing on random), though it's worth to note that the very first version ('Kingdom Hearts I', so to speak) was composed entirely on the piano.

A/N: I always imagined that there is something more beneath the puppy-ish exterior that Gokudera showed everyone. The few minutes of TYL!Gokudera in canon proves it. I also believe that Tsuna's bond with each of his Guardians are all unique in their own ways. Quite honestly, I really liked how this chapter turned out. I swear, I think my heart skipped a beat or two when I wrote the operation scene. I might have shed a tear or two when I wrote the confrontation scene too.

Well, time for announcement!

(I swear I'm going to regret this in due time but...) **There is going to be a Reborn chapter**. I think just about all of you were concerned as to _how exactly am I going to injure the world's greatest hitman_. Frankly, I'm still wondering about that too. One chapter down, and I have yet to come up with anything. As I told the very first requester, _Tiger723_, this is basically an impossible challenge. *sighs**pulls out hair*

I will do my very best to injure Reborn in a way that is not lame or stupid. I really will!

And yay! It's finally Tsuna's chapter next!

At the end of the next chapter, I will put up a timeline thingy that explains where in the timeline we are at. For those of you who followed the KHR manga faithfully, you would have realised that the two new arcs after the Future arcs brought us to an alternate timeline (parallel world), which affects things slightly. For those of you who don't understand what I'm babbling about, it's alright.

Now then, that marks the end of Gokudera's chapter! We're almost at the (originally planned) end, people!

Once again, I thank all of you for your reviews, favorites and follows. I never thought this small project of mine would be so popular and well-received. Thank you guys so much! *bows deeply*

That's all for now! Ciao Ciao~


	7. And One Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; Possible spoilers for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world, between present and TYL.

**CHAPTER WARNING: **There may be medical inconsistency, such as degree of wound versus recovery time/survival rates. I've tried to do my research, but it's really hard to get a straight answer. Also bear in mind that in the KHR universe, we have Sun flames that can heal, so what is normally impossible might just be possible.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**CHAPTER NOTE: **A portion completely written in Italics denotes flashback. It is not separated by two lines this time, but you should still be able to spot it. Again, just a headsup.

**DEDICATION: **This chapter is dedicated to Lightning515, who mused together with me this chapter as well as for becoming my new KHR buddy~

**EDIT (01/02): **Edited minor language errors; _Ryohei's portion_; revised ending.

* * *

There are many, many ways in this world to describe sounds. Loud, soft; rich, dull; clear, muffled…

The sound that they heard that day was none of that.

The sound that they heard that day was the singularly most devastating sound they have ever heard.

A single, flat noise that pierced through the air, ringing sharply through each of their minds; tearing down every last shred of hope they had.

They had lost.

Their most precious person; their most beloved friend…

Their most important family.

They _lost_.

_***beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeep***_

* * *

…**And One Time.**

**Rain, Storm, Cloud, Sun, Mist and Lightning. He influences, understands and accepts all of them. **

**10****th**** Vongola Sky Guardian, Vongola Decimo: Sawada Tsunayoshi**

The occupants of the Vongola estate, be it the Mafiosi or the maids or butlers, always knew that any day that their Boss loses his temper would not be a good day for anyone in the estate.

Today was no exception.

Today, the Mafiosi and the servants cleared the main lobby where the tension in the estate was the highest.

There, the Vongola Decimo stood resolutely in a pristine white suit, orange dress shirt and white tie, along with his signature cloak. Vongola Decimo's usual smile, gentle and kind, was absent on his face; replaced by a harsh glare, directed at none other than five of his beloved Guardians.

Across him and blocking the twin mahogany doors that served at the front doors of the Vongola mansion were said five Guardians, with varying degrees of displeasure and disapproval on their faces.

The 10th Vongola Storm Guardian and Right-Hand man to Vongola Decimo, Gokudera Hayato, openly glared at his Boss for the very first time. To the left of him, the 10th Vongola Rain Guardian, Yamamoto Takeshi, stood in a semi-casual stance –a hand on a pocket, the other gently holding the strap of the katana hanging over his shoulders. Instead of the harsh glare his fellow Guardian had, Yamamoto had a deep frown on his face, his eyebrow furrowed by the effort. Beside him, the 10th Vongola Mist Guardian, Chrome Dokuro, tightened her grip on her trident as she stared firmly at her Boss. It was clear that she was afraid, yet her eye reflected her determination to stop her Boss from what he was about to do. To the right of Gokudera, the 10th Vongola Sun Guardian, Sasagawa Ryohei, had a unique mix of a glare and a frown on his face as he stood with an arm around the teen beside him –the 10th Vongola Lightning Guardian, Lambo, who looked like he was on the verge of crying.

"Tsuna..." Yamamoto started. "Please."

Tsuna's eyes hardened, flickering between chocolate brown and honey amber. "I'm not going to say this again. _Move_."

"We extremely refuse." Ryohei answered.

"I'm sorry; did I not make myself clear?" Tsuna hissed. "That wasn't a request. That was an _**order**_."

"Then I'm afraid we'll be defying orders, Jyuudaime." Gokudera replied firmly.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed further. He knew his Guardians had been against this from the start, but to think that they would all work together against him is still a rather amazing feat. Still, as much as his Guardians are protesting, Tsuna still knew he couldn't give in to his Guardians.

"Herbivores."

Tsuna glanced over Gokudera's shoulders, watching wordlessly as the last Guardian, 10th Vongola Mist Guardian, Hibari Kyouya strode in through the front doors.

"Why are you crowding here?"

"_Kumo_-san…" Chrome greeted softly.

Hibari gave a nod in acknowledgment before turning to Tsuna with an annoyed glare. "What are you still doing here? I'll bite you to death for being late."

"Kyouya-nii…!" Lambo gasped in disbelief. "You're agreeing to Tsuna-nii going…?!"

Hibari glanced over at the other Guardians momentarily before turning back to Tsuna. "This meeting is pointless."

"But you just…" Gokudera trailed off at the Cloud Guardian's glare.

"However. Once the omnivore has decided something, he would not change his mind. Is that not right?" Hibari questioned. "Stop crowding here needlessly or I'll bite you to death."

Tsuna hid a smile. He knew he would need a miracle to leave the Vongola estate today. However, he never thought that said 'miracle' would come in the form of his aloof Cloud Guardian. Tsuna found silver blue orbs staring at him questioningly, and Tsuna could have sworn on his title as Vongola Decimo that he found a shred of concern within those same two orbs. A shout from his beloved Storm Guardian roused him from his thoughts, however, as the Guardians began to argue among themselves, spilt between agreeing with Hibari and yet, still disapproving Tsuna's decision.

The Vongola Decimo sighed. If _he_ were still around, _he_ would be telling Tsuna to resolve the problem already –it was only expected as the Don of Vongola, after all.

Tsuna really wanted to go alone; the less people involved, the better. But he already figured that that was an impossible wish, and he was therefore forced to compromise.

"_Alright_." Tsuna called out over the arguments.

The Guardians fell silent immediately, turning to their Boss inquisitively.

"I'll compromise." Tsuna said. "I will let you guys come with me. _However_, I will only bring _two _of you along."

"Jyuudaime! How can you only bring two of us? It's too dangerous!" Gokudera protested.

"Hayato." Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "I am going there for a _negotiation_. Not a _declaration of war_. I will _not _bring all of you there." Tsuna said firmly. "I already said that was my compromise. There can be less, but no more. I'll let you guys decide who to go." Tsuna closed his eyes momentarily, bringing a hand up to massage his steadily-aching temples. "Do hurry. We will be rather late at this rate. Plus, Kyouya will bite us to death for more than one reason."

The Guardians were silent for a while.

Right now, there is probably no one whose stubbornness can beat Tsuna's and they know it. None of them were satisfied with the compromise, but they knew that it was that or nothing at all. Taking the compromise means giving in to the Vongola Decimo, yet none of them –not even the highly intelligent Storm Guardian– could find a way to counter their Boss. They had no choice but to admit defeat.

And so, despite the amount of protest they had to keep down, the Guardians quickly discussed about their current task.

"I'm going." Gokudera was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, but I refuse to budge on this."

"I think we all figured you were going to be one of them, Hayato." Yamamoto managed a grin. "The question is, who's the other?"

"If Gokudera is going, I thought Yamamoto would be going _to the extreme_." Ryohei said.

"Yeah." Lambo nodded. "Haya-nii and Take-nii are Tsuna-nii's Right and Left-Hand men, right?"

Chrome nodded quietly.

Yamamoto blinked and frowned. He was silent for a while, a thoughtful look on his face, before he answered, "No… I think Hibari should go instead."

As expected, the Cloud Guardian barely reacted, except for the simple (and barely visible) arch of an eyebrow.

"Hayato is definitely going. It makes sense, because he is Tsuna's Right-Hand man." Yamamoto started. "Since Tsuna only allowed two of us, I think Hibari, being the strongest of all of us, should go instead. Hibari is more capable of handling that kind of situation, anyway."

Tsuna frowned but kept his silence. He could tell that his Rain Guardian was feeling self-loathing again, but this time, he couldn't afford to comfort him –even if Tsuna's own heart was clenching unbearably at the sight.

"Well, Hibari?" Ryohei asked.

"…Tetsu is waiting outside." Hibari said simply.

Tsuna just barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes, managing to keep the stern look and deep frown on his face. _Knowing Kyouya, he probably planned this. _Tsuna thought. _Only this combination makes sense, after all. I'm sure he expected this… Just as I did. _

"What are you standing there for?" Hibari called, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Tsuna straightened himself and stood a step forward, only to find himself with an armful of his youngest Guardian.

"Tsuna-nii… Please, _please_ come back!" Lambo sobbed. "I… I got back my grades and I really want to show you…!"

Tsuna's eyes softened for a split moment before he gently pried Lambo off him, walking out of the front doors without another word. Gokudera nodded at the older Guardians before following Tsuna out, Hibari walking beside him.

The four remaining Guardians stood there in the front lobby, even after the car had driven off.

Ryohei sighed and turned, about to head back to his office when he noticed a strange look on Yamamoto's face. Concerned, he called out to his fellow Guardian, "Yamamoto? Are you alright?"

Yamamoto blinked rapidly, as if snapping himself back into reality before turning to Ryohei. The Rain Guardian looked a tad paler than normal, and Ryohei didn't like the look of that. After a while, Yamamoto finally spoke, "…I hope it's just me over thinking, but… Just now… Tsuna didn't answer Lambo. The normal Tsuna would have smiled and hugged Lambo and promised whatever Lambo was asking." The raven felt his throat tightened. "But Tsuna… Tsuna didn't… Just now…"

Chrome gripped her trident tightly upon hearing Yamamoto's words. "Boss…"

"No! Tsuna-nii… Tsuna-nii will definitely come back! Tsuna-nii will never leave us…!" Lambo sniffled. "He promised us… He promised!"

"Yeah. It's Sawada we're talking about." Ryohei nodded. "He's probably just… stressed."

It was clear that none of the Guardians were convinced, but it was all they could do in order for them to not lose hope.

* * *

The car ride was awkward, to say the least.

Hibari, who normally sat at the back, had chosen to sit upfront in the passenger seat as his Second-in-Command, Kusakabe, drove. Tsuna and Gokudera sat in the back, each taking window seats which were a seat apart, much to the Storm Guardian's protest (which Tsuna had decided to ignore).

It was halfway into the ride, after countless times of Gokudera shooting inquisitive looks at Tsuna discreetly –_not_– did the silverette finally gather enough courage to speak up.

"Umm, Jyuudaime?"

Even without Hyper Intuition, Tsuna noticed all the glances. He knew his faithful Right-Hand man had a burning question to ask, though it amazed him how long said silverette had kept it in. "Hayato, if this about the meeting..." He started.

"It _is_ about the meeting, but I wasn't going to protest again." Gokudera answered quietly.

Tsuna arched an eyebrow at him.

"I hate to admit this, but Hibari is right. Once Jyuudaime decides on something, it's fairly impossible to change your mind. That's why, as your Guardians, the next best thing we can do is to support you and protect you." Gokudera explained. "All I wanted to ask was... Jyuudaime... Jyuudaime knows how risky this meeting is right?"

Tsuna nodded once.

"Then... Why? Why insist on going on this meeting if Jyuudaime knows the risk?" Gokudera swallowed, "I... I really don't understand, Jyuudaime..."

_Curse my Hyper Intuition..._ Tsuna sighed softly. "…I know what it is… that you're all worried about. I understand that, given how that person is, there… just might be a chance that… I might not…" Tsuna swallowed, "…not return."

Gokudera's flinch didn't go unnoticed, neither did the tensing of Hibari's body, however faint that was.

"However… there is still a chance that this meeting will be successful. That we can come to a truce and perhaps, even an alliance." Tsuna continued. "If there is even the slightest chance that we can get through this without any violence, I _will _take it, no matter what."

"But Jyuudaime–"

Tsuna shook his head. "Hayato… I have no doubts that none of you will hesitate to fight for Vongola and me. But what is of a greater concern to me is that, as long as there is a fight, there is a chance that any one of you will be hurt." Tsuna's eyes softened as his sight fell to his lap. "Hayato… It pains me to send you guys out, knowing that _anything _can happen to you. It scares me to see when any of you fall."

Gokudera couldn't help but glance away. The fact that he recently almost died was still fresh in his mind, and Gokudera was sure that the Vongola Decimo thought the same. "…I… I understand now, Jyuudaime." Gokudera answered quietly. "A-As expected of Jyuudaime. Jyuudaime is… always thinking of us…"

It was his usual compliment, but everyone in the car could tell the lack of enthusiasm behind it.

Tsuna wanted to say more, to assure his Right-Hand man that everything will be alright, but there was no time.

The car slowly pulled to a stop as Kusakabe turned around with a stiff announcement, "We're here."

Tsuna stepped out of the car and readjusted his clothing. He took in a deep breath to calm himself and glanced to his two Guardians who already took their places a step behind him. The Storm and Cloud Guardian each gave a nod, to which Tsuna returned with one of his own before turning back to the person welcoming them.

"Vongola Decimo. I'm here to see Don Millifiore."

The person bowed, "My name is Irie Shoichi, Captain of the Millifiore White Spell's 2nd Squad. I'm here to bring you to see Byakuran-sama."

Tsuna inclined his head slightly in gratitude. _It's time._

* * *

"Tsunayoshi-kun~ I've been waiting so long!"

Tsuna forced down a shiver and bowed politely. "Don Millifiore."

"Don't be so stiff. Call me Byakuran."

"…Byakuran-san, then." Tsuna nodded.

"Good, good." Byakuran smiled. "Take a seat."

Tsuna nodded and did as told, taking a quick glance around as he did so. He had called forth his Hyper Intuition, enhancing his senses. Tsuna knew he didn't have much time to hesitate, and so quickly took in the more important details.

Byakuran's office was rather… _white_. Contrary to his own office's rather traditional look (seeing as it was passed down from Vongola Primo's time), Byakuran's office was modern –which was to be expected, considering that the Millifiore Famiglia was set in an office building in the city. Besides the Boss of Millifiore himself, there was only one other person in the room; the one who led them in, Irie Shoichi, who stood a few steps away from the desk that Byakuran was seated at.

"…Well then." Byakuran spoke up, catching the attention of the three Vongola Guardians in the room. "Shall we get down to business?"

"…Certainly." Tsuna nodded. "Since you were the one who requested to see me, how about you begin, Byakuran-san?"

Byakuran smiled, "Tsunayoshi-kun really is as the Mafia said. Despite being the Boss of such a long-standing Family, Tsunayoshi-kun is still willing to look at people so kindly."

"I am well aware of the blood and betrayals that stain the Vongola's history. But it is my belief that inheriting the Vongola Famiglia does not necessarily mean that I need to follow in my predecessors' footsteps, that's all." Tsuna replied smoothly.

Byakuran didn't comment this time, merely smiling his mysterious smile. "Well. We're here to discuss a truce."

"I was rather hoping we could even discuss a possible alliance." Tsuna said.

"An alliance…" Byakuran murmured, letting the words roll over. "And what could the Vongola Famiglia possibly offer?"

To Tsuna's credit, the Vongola Decimo's eyes didn't narrow even the slightest at the mocking tone. Instead, a pleasant smile spread across his lips as Tsuna answered, "I am well aware that Millifiore holds much power at the moment –power that has made it the strongest Famiglia in Italy." Tsuna heard his Right-Hand man 'tch' softly under his breath behind him, but he ignored it and continued, "Our strength may be inferior now, but Vongola still has a very strong alliance."

"Ahh, yes… Vongola's alliances… One of the largest in the Mafia; boasting many powerful Families in the Mafia." Byakuran nodded. "It certainly is an… _enticing _deal." The white-haired man smiled almost predatorily at Tsuna, "As expected of the Don of Vongola; Tsunayoshi-kun certainly knows how to make a deal."

"And what would your answer be, Byakuran-san?" Tsuna asked.

"_Ara, ara_. Is that really all you want, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Byakuran arched an eyebrow, smiling rather playfully.

"What did Byakuran-san think I want?" Tsuna replied. "Should an alliance be formed, that will already solve many of my problems. I don't see what else I could possibly want from Byakuran-san."

Byakuran's eyes opened ever so slightly as he spoke, "How about… the name of the person who killed your beloved mentor?"

In an instance, the atmosphere tensed.

Gokudera reacted the first, snarling at Byakuran, "You bas–"

"–_HAYATO._" Tsuna shouted, startling his Right-Hand man into silence. "…It's alright."

"B-But, Jyuudai–" Gokudera was once again cut off; this time by the warning look Hibari shot him from the side.

"It's alright." Tsuna repeated softly, unsure if that was meant for his Storm Guardian or for himself. The Vongola Decimo quickly resettled himself and turned to Byakuran with a calm look, "I thank you for the offer, but it's alright, Byakuran-san. My mentor may have died, but he died in the way he always wanted –in battle. He died a peaceful death; therefore there is no need for me to dig further into his death."

Byakuran stared at him before breaking out into laughter. "Tsunayoshi-kun sure is understanding."

"That is what my mentor told me a long time ago. I am merely following his wishes." Tsuna answered. "Byakuran-san, what say you?"

"Well, an alliance is no problem, of course." Byakuran spoke. "…That is, _if _Tsunayoshi-kun can give me something?"

Tsuna felt his stomach tighten as he answered in an even tone, "…And what would that be?"

Byakuran smiled. "…The Vongola Rings."

Tsuna didn't hesitate to answer –he knew that if he hesitated, it would be all over. "My apologies, but I'm afraid I'm unable to offer that."

"Oh?" Byakuran's eyes cracked open.

"Perhaps it's more accurate to say, it's impossible for me to offer it. You see…" Tsuna uncovered his right hand (which he had previously covered with his left hand), revealing a normal ring with an orange jewel. "…the Vongola Rings have long since been destroyed." Tsuna glanced over his shoulders, and the two present Guardians helpfully raised their hands to show normal rings with colored jewels.

"And why should I believe you? You could be hiding those rings." Byakuran pointed out.

"…The Millifiore Famiglia holds the seven Mare Rings, don't they? They are connected to the Vongola Rings. Therefore, Byakuran-san should know whether or not I am lying to you. And whether or not the Vongola Rings… still exist." Tsuna answered honestly.

"I was hoping that it was just me…" Byakuran murmured. "Well, if you don't have the Vongola Rings, then I'm afraid I have no more use for you."

With a playful smirk, Byakuran reached for the gun tucked in his drawer, took aim and–

_In dramas and stories, they always say that time slows down when these moments happen. _

_Those are lies to make things interesting. _

_In reality, all it takes is a single moment to make everything come crashing down. _

_A single moment… for everything to end._

* * *

Gokudera knew there were many, many things he could have done.

He could have reached out and pushed the Vongola Decimo away; he could have summoned his Bone Shield to deflect the bullet; there were _many _things he could have done.

Instead, he froze up at the most crucial moment, and watched in horror as the bullet buried itself in his beloved Boss's chest. He stared helplessly as Tsuna's face twisted itself into a look of immerse pain. He listened as Tsuna let out a cry in shock and pain –_excruciating_ pain. He stood, paralyzed with fear and dread, as Tsuna swayed to the side, crumbling into the couch as crimson bloomed across his chest, straining the pristine white suit a bright scarlet.

At the back of his mind, Gokudera faintly registered a scream.

It took some time for him to realize that _he _was the one screaming.

Screaming for his beloved Boss–

"_Jyuu_– _**Tsuna!**_"

Emotions ran through him like a bullet train –horror, fear that he couldn't push back released themselves in the only way the violent storm knew.

_Anger._

"_**YOU**_…!" Gokudera snarled.

Byakuran sat at his desk, his smile as bright as ever even as Gokudera aimed his gun at him. A shout from Shoichi, and Millifiore Mafiosi poured into the room, each aiming their own weapons at the Vongola trio.

"How dare you shoot Jyuudaime…?!"

Hibari had his eyes narrowed, still maintaining his silence.

"Ha… ya… to…"

"Jyu… _Tsuna_…?!" Gokudera ran around the couch and knelt down beside his fallen Boss. He swallowed, feeling fear grip at him as he watched the stain spreading further and further.

Tsuna coughed, blood splattering from his mouth, spilling down the side of his mouth. Despite his current state, he managed a weak smile at Gokudera. "…You… finally… called… my name…"

"This is no time to be happy about that…!" Gokudera sobbed.

"It's… alright…" Tsuna mumbled, cringing as more blood erupted from the back of his throat. "Don't… fight… It's… a… los… ing… ba… ttle…"

"You really should listen to your Boss, Vongola Storm Guardian." Byakuran laughed mockingly. "_Mah, mah_… I'm in a good mood today. You can bring your Boss back. I don't feel like taking care of his dead body."

"_HOW DARE YOU?!_" Gokudera growled.

Tsuna reached out and grasped Gokudera's suit with a shaking hand. He couldn't speak anymore. He felt so,_ so _tired. His eyes were beginning to close. When he felt the silverette's eyes on him, Tsuna shook his head weakly, and let his eyes close.

"Jyuudaime…!" Gokudera's eyes widened.

"Gokudera Hayato." Hibari spoke for the first time. "Sawada Tsunayoshi is right. There is no way we will win fighting here."

"And Jyuudaime?!"

Hibari narrowed his eyes threateningly. "If we bring him back now, there is a chance that Sawada Tsunayoshi will live. If we fight here, then Vongola will have a total of three causality."

"Tsunayoshi-kun's Cloud Guardian is as they say. How very smart to choose to retreat." Byakuran chuckled.

"Do not be mistaken. Retreating now does not mean that we're done here." Hibari answered quietly. "Millifiore will fall at the hands of Vongola."

Byakuran laughed, "If it still didn't sink in, your Boss is bleeding to death! What makes you think Vongola can still fight?"

Hibari kept a passive face; he didn't frown, nor smirk, and he did not let out a single sound. Instead, he turned to Gokudera and ordered the Storm Guardian to hurry up. Gokudera nodded numbly, carefully gathering the Vongola Decimo in his arms. Hibari glared harshly at the Mafiosi that stood in their way.

The Millifiore Mafiosi still looked uncertain but Shoichi swiftly cut in, "Did you not hear Byakuran-sama's orders?!"

The Millifiore Mafiosi wisely stepped aside, allowing the three Vongola Guardians to step through.

Gokudera carried Tsuna firmly in his arms, careful not to jostle the Vongola Decimo too much as they ran down the hallways. Beside him, Hibari was already pulling out his phone and calling his Second-in-Command, ordering him to bring the car around. Any Mafiosi that got in their way were swiftly scared away by the combination of the glares present on the Storm and Cloud Guardian's faces.

Kusakabe gasped at the sight of Tsuna lying in Gokudera's arms. The Vongola Decimo looked so frail; as if he was about to break any moment. He would have continued staring in a daze if not for Hibari snapping at them. Kusakabe quickly slid into the driver's seat as the three Vongola Guardians piled into the backseat. He slammed his foot onto the pedal and quickly drove off, hurrying back to the Vongola estate.

Back in the office, seeing the blood staining his couch, the Don of Millifiore merely smiled and laughed.

* * *

If they had thought that the ride to the Millifiore headquarters felt long, then the ride back to the Vongola estate felt like an eternity.

In the backseat, Tsuna was laying with his head in Hibari's lap, while Gokudera pressed his suit jacket to the brunette's wound.

Several times, Gokudera had to push down the urge to vomit at the sickening sight of his Boss covered in so much red. Just about the entire of Tsuna's front has been stained red and the seat he was lying on was sticky with blood too –_his_ _blood_… _**Tsuna's blood**_. The jacket Gokudera was using to in an attempt to staunch the wound was getting soaked by the minute. Even Gokudera himself wasn't spared from all the redness, his hands covered in the thick red fluid.

Beside him, Hibari was keeping a close eye on Tsuna's facial expression, trying to judge the Vongola Decimo's current situation.

Tsuna's face was pale, _very _pale. Sweat covered his entire body, his hair sticking uncomfortably to his face. Every since the moment he was shot –Hibari forced himself to ignore the twinge of his heart– Tsuna face has yet to be released from its scrunched up state. The brunette had bitten down on his lips so hard to muffle any further cries of pain, but that only served to worry the two Guardians more and caused more blood to spill from his lips.

"Hibari." Gokudera was surprised he managed to speak without a tremble in his voice. Taking in a deep breath and calling forth every bit of the calmness him being Vongola Decimo's Right-Hand man demanded of him, he continued, "…Please call Ryohei. Tell him Jyuudaime has been shot and he needs to get a team ready for immediate operation."

Hibari glanced at him as though asking, _'why me?'_, but nevertheless reached for his phone.

"Don't give me that look." Gokudera grumbled. "I… I can't use my phone in this state." Emerald eyes clouded over as Gokudera stared down at his bloodied hands again.

Hibari made a small noise of acknowledgement, before turning to the side, his phone pressed against the side of his face.

"_Sasagawa Ryohei speaking." _

Hibari cut to heart of the matter, "Sawada Tsunayoshi has been shot. We're heading back. Prepare for operation."

"_WHAT?! Where?!" _

"Chest. Lungs most likely injured." Hibari answered.

"_No…! W-What happened?!" _

For a split moment, a thought entered Hibari's mind. _Knowledge does not equate to being prepared_. Seeing Tsuna covered in his own blood, a part within Hibari snapped as he lost his composure that he kept such a tight lid on. "I said Tsunayoshi was shot. You want a detailed report? Ask later. Get a team ready _now_!"

All three of them –Gokudera, Kusakabe and Ryohei– were all surprised when Hibari raised his voice.

Kusakabe especially.

The man had followed Hibari ever since they were in middle school. Being with the raven for so long, Kusakabe thought he had seen all sides of the man called Hibari Kyouya. He had seen the man irritated at rule-breaking idiots; pissed at the one person who managed to beat him with a dirty trick; relaxed as he napped on the school roof, and now his own apartment; content when Hibird sang loudly around him… But this was the first time Kusakabe had seen that look in Hibari's eyes.

_Concern. Fear. _

"…_You're right. Chest gunshot, right?" _

Hibari heard Ryohei pull away, shouting orders at his own men. There were a lot of rustling about as the medics on duty frantically prepared everything that was need.

"_We're on it. What's your ETA?" _

"Tetsu. How long?" Hibari asked.

"Fifteen– _No._" Kusakabe narrowed his eyes in determination. "_Ten _minutes. I'll get you back in _ten minutes_…!"

Gokudera's eyes had widened in surprise but Hibari merely smirked. "Ten minutes."

"_T-Ten? But… never mind. I'm not going to ask. Gokudera is there right? Put me on speaker." _

Hibari bit down a sharp remark and jabbed the speaker button.

"_Gokudera?" _

"What?"

"_How's Sawada looking?"_

"I'm trying to staunch the wound with my jacket, but it's still bleeding." Gokudera gritted out.

"_If he's shot in the chest, it's to be expected. Keep the pressure on, but not too much; you don't want to hurt him." _Ryohei instructed. _"Is he conscious?" _

"I'm not sure. He keeps going in and out of it, I think." Gokudera replied, watching Tsuna carefully.

"_Alright. We're preparing for a thoracic operation. We'll meet you at the entrance." _Ryohei said. _"…Sawada!" _

Gokudera glanced down to see Tsuna groaned softly, using all of his strength to crack an eye open. Hibari helpfully shifted the phone closer to the brunette, despite the phone being on speaker. Gokudera stifled a sob and croaked out, "He's listening."

"_Sawada. Listen to me. You'll be fine. Everyone is doing their best so you better hang in there. Kusakabe is probably breaking every traffic rule out there and we're already making preparations on our hand. You hear that? You're not allowed to give up!" _

"…Do… it… with… my… Dying Will…"

"_That's right. Just like what Master PaoPao said. Hang on, Sawada…!" _Ryohei urged.

"Sasagawa-san, ETA 2 minutes!" Kusakabe called from the front.

Tsuna only managed a small smile before his eyes closed again.

* * *

The entire Vongola estate was in a panic when the Foundation's car drove into sight.

Ryohei and a team of medic were already at the front with a gurney ready to transport their Boss directly into the operation room.

The car scarcely stopped before the car door slammed opened on both sides. A few medics went forth and helped carrying Tsuna over to the gurney and loaded him on before swiftly pushing him back into the mansion. The Mafiaosi and servants all made way, their faces either of fear or horror when they snuck a glimpse of the Vongola Decimo.

Ryohei paused at the operation room waiting area, where Yamamoto, Lambo and Chrome waited.

Yamamoto's face lost all color when he saw Tsuna.

Lambo, who had already been sobbing before, began wailing louder than ever.

Chrome raised a hand to her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks as she almost began hyperventilating.

"**_DAMMIT_**!" Yamamoto shouted, turning on the Storm and Cloud Guardian. "You two were with Tsuna, weren't you?! How did you let him get shot?!"

Gokudera forced down a flinch. He knew the only reason why he wasn't being slammed into the nearest wall was because the Rain Guardian was holding to his last shred of self-control with all of his will. "…I…"

"…_It's… al… right…" _

The Guardians' eyes widened as they gathered around the gurney.

Tsuna's eyes were opened again, but barely. What visible part of his eyes were a dull brown as they stared almost lifelessly at the ceiling. Tsuna was once again forcing a weak smile to creep onto his face with all his strength in an attempt to reassure his Guardians.

"It's… go… ing… to be… alright…"

"Sawada… Stop talking…!" Ryohei pleaded.

"Don't… fi… fight…"

"Dammit…! _Wheel him in_!" Ryohei ordered.

Tsuna didn't listen; his mouth continuing to move, despite the fact that his voice had long since given up on him. Still the Guardians were able to make out what Tsuna was saying and they desperately tried to keep their emotions in check.

The medics scrambled to follow the order just as Tsuna's eyes began to close again.

* * *

"…You know where the observation room is, right? Go. I'll give you permission to enter." Ryohei said softly, turning to the double doors.

"Ryohei…!" Gokudera called softly.

Ryohei paused, tilting his head to the side inquisitively.

"…_Please_. Save Jyuudaime." Gokudera croaked out.

"Ah." Ryohei nodded and headed in.

The Guardians scrambled to follow, almost running down the hospital white hallways. They didn't know how they remembered the way to the observation room, but they did anyway. They piled into the observation room hurriedly and although they spread themselves out, they all ensured that they kept an eye –if not _both _eyes– on the operation starting below. Gokudera, Yamamoto and Lambo pressed themselves up against the full-length glass while Chrome peeked in from the side, allowing a space for Hibari to watch from his perch at the back of the room.

The next few hours were a mental torture.

The Guardians alternated between watching the operation closely and pacing around the room. The two younger Guardians eventually huddled together at a corner of the glass, leaving the rest of the room for the others. Hibari, however, remained where he was, not moving a single inch. Jackets have been tossed on the ground and ties loosened as the Rain and Storm Guardians continued to move around listlessly.

Perhaps it was because he understood, but Hibari kept his silence, when he normally would have threatened to bite the two Guardians to death.

They prayed.

Deep in the minds, the Guardians all prayed. Be it to gods, deities, or even to their own loved ones who had long since passed on.

They prayed hard, hoping that their _family_, the one who brought them together wouldn't leave them.

"L-Look! Ryo-nii!"

Their reaction was immediate.

Gokudera and Yamamoto were by the glass in a flash, and even Hibari stood up straighter, uncrossing his arms despite not moving from his perch.

In the operation room, Ryohei stood by the side, grinning up at the Guardians as he wiped off some sweat with bloodied hands. Alternating between using his Sun flames and doing manual work had tired him out (not to mention he had used much more Flames than his body could take), but the Sun Guardian managed to raise a hand in a thumbs-up, signaling that all was well. Behind him, the doctors and medics were ending the operation on Tsuna.

Back in the observation room, tears were shed, hugs were given, cheers were screamed, and murmurs of thanks were whispered.

_But it wasn't that easy. _

Even with the sounds of celebration echoing around the room, it was audible.

_None of us would forget what happened that day. _

In an instance, everything changed.

Ryohei spun around and rushed back to the operation table, working together frantically with the doctors to figure out what was wrong.

_We prayed so hard. _

_We prayed for him to not leave us. _

Did the room become quiet? Or was the sound simply too loud?

_But it was no use. _

_We… We were too late._

They shouted and screamed, calling out loudly for their family.

_We lost. _

_Tsuna… was gone. _

_***beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeep***_

* * *

In the chaos of the aftermath, a figure quietly left the observation room.

Somewhat numbly, he headed down a hallway and pulled out his phone, dialing a number he had come to know recently.

He didn't let the other get in word in, murmuring tiredly, "It's done."

Not wasting another minute, he ended the call, shoving the phone back into his pockets as he leaned heavily against the wall behind him.

And in that lone, quiet hallway, he allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek.

* * *

The funeral was quiet.

The Guardians had decided against burying the Vongola Decimo, instead choosing to leave his coffin above ground in the same clearing that the brunette had frequently visited over the past few months.

A light rain fell that day, and so the coffin was closed, but they all knew the sight they would see if it were opened.

On a bed of pure white flowers, as pure as the one they cradled, laid the 10th Vongola Sky Guardian. They had dressed their beloved Boss in Vongola's signature 'uniform' –a pure black suit with white dress shirt and black tie– and had even put on the cloak they had worked together to give to him. After all, what they've been taught by _that person _had never left them.

"_The Vongola Mafia originated as a team of vigilantes who fought to protect the people. For generations, when the Vongola Famiglia fulfils that duty, they have always gone into battle and risked their lives in full uniform." _

The coffin was simple, yet elegant. It was made of black wood and given a black enamel finish. On the lid of the coffin, the Vongola Famiglia's Coat of Arms sat, imprinted in gold and below it, an elegant bold '**X**' sat, identifying the occupant of the coffin.

The funeral itself was attended by few; not because they did not show up, but rather, because they were not invited. The Guardians not only wanted to keep the affair quiet, but also the location of their Boss' grave unknown.

The only ones there that day were the six Vongola Guardians.

They stood there in the drizzling rain, each staring blankly at the coffin in front of them, lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Yamamoto felt strangely calm as he stared at the closed coffin.

He thought he should be feeling more than this –more than the tranquil rain he was named for. He should be feeling angry (_at who? Gokudera and Hibari, who were with Tsuna? At Byakuran, who shot Tsuna –who _killed_ him?_) remorse _(what for? Because he wasn't there to protect Tsuna? Because he should have insisted on stopping the Vongola Decimo for going in the first place?)_

He should be feeling a lot of things, but he felt none of it at the moment. _Maybe it's because I'm in my element…? _Perhaps, but those thoughts were pointless and needless, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

Instead, for reasons unbeknownst to him, as Yamamoto continued to watch, his mind trailed back to a recent memory.

A memory of a chat he had with Tsuna just a few days ago.

…

"_I'm back, Tsuna!" Yamamoto announced cheerfully as he entered the Vongola Decimo's office. _

_Tsuna raised his head from the document he was reading and smiled at the sight of his Rain Guardian. "Welcome back, Takeshi. How was it?" _

"_We won!" Yamamoto grinned. "We were this close to losing, but the little kiddos didn't give in and we made an awesome comeback and won!" _

"_Well. They're probably inspired by the presence of Namimori's former Ace." Tsuna chuckled. _

"_Now you're just teasing, Tsuna." Yamamoto replied, plopping down on the couch. "So, how things going?" _

"_I'm still buried in paperwork. Mukuro is still popping up out of nowhere and fighting Kyouya. We're renovating the estate again. Wonder how long it'll last this time." Tsuna sighed._

_Yamamoto laughed, "In other words, everything is as normal, huh?" _

"_Yes, everything is as normal." Tsuna smiled. _

"_Uwaaah…" Yamamoto sighed. "Seeing those kiddos play baseball is making my hands itch again." _

_Tsuna glanced over at Yamamoto in surprise. _

"_M-Mah, mah. Just a random thought. Don't worry about it, Tsuna." Yamamoto reassured. _

_Tsuna frowned. "Ne, Takeshi… Did… Did you ever regret giving up baseball?" _

_Yamamoto sighed, slumping into the couch. He was afraid the Vongola Decimo would ask him that, and the brunette really did. "Well… Sure, I miss baseball, but I don't regret. Besides, I didn't give up baseball. You still force vacations on me every now and then and kick me back to Namimori to coach the Nami-chuu baseball players." _

"_But it's not the same as playing." Tsuna pointed out. _

"_Yeah. But it's better than nothing." Yamamoto grinned. "Haha. Squalo will kick up a fuzz if I told him I miss baseball." _

_Tsuna smiled fondly at his Rain Guardian. "…Ne, Takeshi." _

"_Hmm?" _

"…_Thank you." Tsuna murmured. _

"_Ehh?" Yamamoto blinked. _

"_I've… never really thanked you, have I?" Tsuna asked. "For agreeing to be my Rain Guardian. For giving up baseball. For… For leaving your father behind in Namimori and following me here." _

"_Oh, come on Tsuna. It's already been so long, I thought you already know." Yamamoto smiled. "You don't need to thank me for all of those, because that's what friends –no. That's what _family _do for each other." _

_Tsuna's eyes widened slightly as a dust of pink splattered across his cheeks. "…Promise me something, Takeshi?" _

"_Anything." _

"_Don't… Don't ever stop smiling, okay? The others will never admit it, but all of us always look for your smile to calm us whenever something happens. That's why… no matter what happens… no matter how bad things are… Please be the blessed shower… that washes everything away." Tsuna said. _

_Yamamoto didn't know what sparked such a speech from Tsuna, but one look at the brunette's caramel orbs told him that the Vongola Decimo was completely serious. _

_The Rain Guardian sat up straighter and looked at his Boss straight in the eyes. _

"_Of course. I promise you. No, I swear it to you." _

"_Thank you, Takeshi." Tsuna smiled. "…Thank you…" _

…

Yamamoto frowned at the memory. Thinking back on it now, it felt as though Tsuna was giving a farewell speech.

Yamamoto felt his stomach clench unbearably at the thought.

Yet, remembering the last thing he promised, the sides of Yamamoto's mouth couldn't help but lift themselves without his consent. Just barely, but they did.

Yamamoto glanced up at the sky, ignoring the rain droplets splattering on his face.

_Ne, Tsuna. I just remembered, but you said this before, didn't you? 'Smiling is contagious'. I think I know what you're telling me now. Things are going to get even tougher from here on, but don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll keep smiling. If not for the Family, then for you. I'll keep smiling, and everyone else will smile, and we'll keep moving on._

_Because I'm the blessed shower that settles conflict and washes everything away, after all._

* * *

Lambo had been crying for a long time.

He knew he was a crybaby.

He has yet to kick the habit of crying whenever something happens.

But he knew that a small part of him refused to give up the habit because, selfishly, he knew Tsuna will always come running when he cries and comfort him.

It happened too, a few days ago, before Tsuna passed– before… before Tsuna left and…

…

"_Lambo? Lambo…!" Tsuna called as he wandered down the hallways. _

_The brunette sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. Arguments were almost as common as fights and brawls in the Vongola Famiglia. The older Guardians tended towards the latter but with the youngest Guardian –whose abilities, admittedly, were not yet on par with the others– almost always tended to the former. Just earlier the Vongola Decimo had heard several shouts and yells and lots of stomping which practically screams 'ARGUMENT' in bright red solid block letters. With a sigh (in relief, not that Tsuna would tell anyone), Tsuna left the paperwork he was doing and began hunting down his youngest Guardian, finally finding the teen in the large, flourishing gardens. _

_Tsuna let out another sigh and crossed his arms, quietly remarking, "You know… Our gardeners put a lot of effort into maintaining our overly-huge and way too extravagant garden. Spare them a thought, would you?" _

_Lambo jumped a little as he spun around, "T-Tsuna-nii…!" _

_Tsuna gently led them to the closest gazebo and sat down, patting the seat beside him. Lambo hesitated, but eventually sat down, snuggling into Tsuna's side. _

"…_So. Do you want to tell me what happened this time, or do I have to call Hayato?" Tsuna quipped. _

"_N-No…!" Lambo protest quickly. _

_Tsuna quirked an eyebrow wordlessly. _

"_Umm… Bakadera was teaching me again, but he was going on and on about the explanations and I… kinda… talked back at him…?" Lambo replied, somehow managing to turn his explanation into a questioning statement. _

_Tsuna sighed, "Lambo…" _

"_I know…! I… I shouldn't get mad at him but he was really, _really _going on and on…!" Lambo protested weakly._

_Tsuna couldn't help but sigh again. After all, he himself had the pleasure of going through one of his Storm Guardian's explanations when he was younger, and he certainly understood Lambo's feelings. But that wasn't the point here. "Well, certainly Hayato's explanations are… long…" Tsuna winced. Talking about it now, 'long' was an understatement. Gokudera's verbal portion of the mission report –a mandatory for all Guardians, including the least talkative Cloud Guardian– usually took an hour, sometimes more. "…But, he really is trying, you know. I mean, he's sincere in teaching you, especially since you went to him for help, right?" _

_Lambo nodded slowly. _

"…_You know, Hayato has been working a lot later recently." Tsuna remarked casually. _

"_Recently…? A-As in…" _

"_As in since he started tutoring you, yes." Tsuna nodded."Since he's spending time tutoring you, he has to push his work backwards. Normally, I'm the last one to finish working, but recently, I've had to yank Hayato off to bed after I leave my office at night."  
_

_Lambo ducked his head guiltily. "I'm sorry…" _

"_I'm afraid you're apologizing to the wrong person, Lambo." Tsuna smiled gently. _

"_Okay. I'll go apologize to Haya-nii." Lambo announced. _

"_Give it a while more." Tsuna said, wrapping an arm around Lambo's shoulders. He smiled knowingly and explained, "Takeshi's probably working his magic right now."_

_Lambo blinked. "Your Hyper Intuition is scary sometimes, Tsuna-nii." _

_Tsuna laughed, "Nah. Passed by Takeshi when I was looking for you. He said he'll take care of Hayato." He explained. "Hey, Lambo. What do you think of us? The older Guardians?"_

_Lambo blinked again, pondering over what prompted that question. He glanced over at Tsuna. The Vongola Decimo still held a relaxed stance, but there was a faraway look in his eyes as the brunette gazed out into the distance. "I like everyone. Lambo–"_

_Tsuna frowned at that. Over the years, he had learned that his youngest Guardian only talked of himself in third-person speech because of his self-consciousness, and while the habit had slowly been cured with every ounce of confidence the teen gained, Lambo would still slip back into his old habit when he was nervous or scared. _

"–_knows that Lambo is really annoying sometimes. But Tsuna-nii, Haya-nii, Take-nii, Ryo-nii, Chrome-nee and Kyouya-nii still put up with Lambo, and Lambo is very happy for that." _

_Tsuna shook his head and drew the teen into a tight embrace. "Idiot." He scolded affectionately. "We're family. And family always forgive each other." _

_Lambo wrapped his own arms around his adoptive older brother. "Lambo really likes Vongola. I love Tsuna-nii, Haya-nii, Take-nii, Ryo-nii, Chrome-nee and Kyouya-nii." _

_Tsuna blinked, "No Mukuro?" _

"_He's still too scary." Lambo pouted. _

"_Even more than Kyouya?" Tsuna asked. _

"_Even more than Kyouya-nii." Lambo confirmed. _

"_Wonder how much of an ego boost he will get if he hears it…" Tsuna mumbled. "…Wait. Kyouya-nii?" _

_Lambo pulled away and blushed sheepishly. "Umm… I accidentally called him that once, but he didn't bite me to death. He just stared at me for a really long time, 'hmph'-ed, and walked off." _

"_My Cloud Guardian, nicknamed my strongest Guardian, is getting soft…!" Tsuna laughed. "Mah. Should have know that seemingly heartless man actually has a heart inside him." Tsuna smirked. "…Lambo. I want you to promise me something, okay?"_

"_What is it, Tsuna-nii?" Lambo asked. _

"_In the event that, for some reason I'm not around, promise me you'll follow exactly what the others say, okay? And no matter what happens, don't _ever_ give up." Tsuna said. _

_Lambo tilted his head to the side in confusion. He normally did that whenever they went out on missions, so Tsuna making him promise now was rather redundant, but Lambo nodded anyway. "I promise, Tsuna-nii." _

_Tsuna smiled and ruffled his afro affectionately. _

_In the distance, a familiar voice called out, "Oi, Idiot Cow! How long are you going to put off your tutoring?!" _

_Lambo jumped off the bench he was sitting. "Coming, Bakadera!" _

_Tsuna rested his hands on his knees and smiled warmly at the scene. _

…

Lamno sniffled and shuffled himself closer to the silverette beside him. Gokudera gave him a pained smile as the older Guardian pulled him close, shifting the umbrella in his hands to shield them both from the rain.

Remembering his promise to Tsuna, Lambo raised a hand to grab Gokudera's, holding the older Guardian's hand tightly.

_Tsuna-nii… Lambo is really sad. Lambo doesn't want Tsuna-nii to go away. But it's too late, isn't it? Tsuna-nii is gone… _

_Tsuna-nii, you don't have to worry about Lambo. Lambo won't forget what Lambo promised Tsuna-nii… Lambo will follow Haya-nii, Take-nii, Ryo-nii, Chrome-nee and Kyouya-nii. _

_Tsuna-nii said it before, right? Lambo draws damage to Lambo and away from the rest of the family, serving as a lightning rod. Lambo will make everyone happy. Lambo promise._

* * *

Hibari wondered why he was standing out here in the rain when there were more urgent things to take care of –the investigations into the Boxes were not yet complete, preparations for the discussed plans have barely been started, and he still needed to receive reports from the Foundation all over the world.

There were many, _many _things to do, yet despite so, Hibari found himself coming to _his _funeral without even needing to be asked.

His stormy blue eyes never left the coffin, aware of the truth that laid inside, and almost immediately, a memory surfaced.

…

"_Then I will take my leave now." _

_Tsuna nodded, and his guest left the room, leaving himself and his Cloud Guardian behind. Said Cloud Guardian stared at him with a narrowed gaze, burning holes into his back for he was still facing the full-length windows behind his desk. _

"_What is it, Kyouya?" Tsuna caved in first. _

_Hibari continued staring for a long while before a single word left his lips. "Why?" _

_Tsuna sighed and finally turned around, clouded caramel orbs staring at the raven. "Why did I trust him? Why did I agree to his plan? Why did I not search for other ways like I normally did? Or why is it that you're the only Guardian that knows?" _

_Hibari narrowed his eyes as if daring the Vongola Decimo to dance around the issue any further. _

"_Mobility and detachability is the key. As the Cloud Guardian and the leader of the Foundation, you can come and go as you wish, and no one will bat an eyelash. Furthermore, as the strongest of my present Guardians, your strength will be greatly needed." Tsuna explained in what was known as his 'business' tone. "Besides… if we want the plan to work… they… they can't know." _

_Hibari let out a small noise that sounded suspiciously like sighing. "…You always were melodramatic." _

_Tsuna couldn't help but let his mouth fall open. "H-Hey…! I resent that!" _

_Hibari arched an eyebrow elegantly and in return, Tsuna pouted. In a flash, Hibari had appeared in front of Tsuna and unceremoniously whacked the Vongola Decimo's head with a tonfa. _

_Ignoring Tsuna's indigent, "Hey!"; Hibari merely replied, "It seems you needed some discipline. You've been enjoying the _akanbo's _lack of presence recently." _

_Tsuna's pout dropped and a pained smile replaced it, "…Strange… What would I give to have him give me the special brand of wake-up call again, or for him to threaten shooting me when I'm behind on paperwork…" _

_Hibari glanced at him with an unreadable expression. _

"_Mah. At least this plan should ensure that everything returns to normal." Tsuna said. "Ne, Kyouya. You promise me something too." _

_Hibari raised an eyebrow questioningly. _

"_I made everyone promise me something, and I'm not letting you out of it." Tsuna huffed. _

_Hibari raised a tonfa in answer. Tsuna stared back resolutely and Hibari eventually gave in, lowering the tonfa with a smirk. _

_Tsuna smiled and continued, "I want Kyouya to promise me that… Well, actually, I'm giving you permission to whack any of the others whenever they get too depressed and forget their duties. I want you to promise you'll bother whacking them." _

_Hibari stared. He expected the Vongola Decimo to request something along the lines of 'protect the Vongola Famiglia', but not that. _

"_Well… This plan will inevitably cause them anguish. Terrible pains that they may never forget. But as long as there's a chance, even if I have to hurt my Family to protect their safety, I will do it. But my part is easy. Theirs, aren't. They may, along the way, give in to the pressure. But they can't give in; they can't lose hope." Tsuna stared firmly at Hibari. "I need someone to remind them about their pledge to me and the Vongola Famiglia, and you're the only one who can do it, for more than one reason. So… please, Kyouya." _

_Hibari closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Very well. I will bite those herbivores to death for forgetting their discipline." _

"_Thank you, Kyouya." Tsuna sighed in relief. "…Just… don't bite them too hard…" _

_Hibari merely smirked. _

…

The current Cloud Guardian of Vongola glanced at his fellow Guardians (as the omnivore had named them –he had bitten the omnivore to death though), who were mourning for the loss of their Boss.

Hibari tossed a look at the coffin before turning back to the Guardians.

_I'll let them off for a little while more, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Because you interest me so much, even if I am the aloof, drifting cloud that 'protects' your family from an independent standpoint, I'll allow myself to be bound for a little while. I'll bite you to death after this whole thing is over._

* * *

Chrome stood quietly by the Sun Guardian's side as she stared lifelessly at the coffin before her.

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that her beloved Boss, the second person to trust in her and protect her was gone.

She felt so lost; so empty…

Even her counterpart couldn't give her any support, since he himself had fallen into an odd silence since a few days ago…

…

"_Chrome! I'm having a bite. Join me?" _

_Chrome stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around to see her Boss' head poking through the gap in his office door, smiling warmly at her. Giving a shy smile in return, Chrome nodded and quietly entered the Vongola Decimo's office, settling herself on the couch. _

_Tsuna moved to pour a cup of tea for her, adding a spoonful of honey and a bit of milk –exactly the way she liked it. _

_Chrome blushed a little in embarrassment, sipping at the warm tea in bliss. _

_Across her, Tsuna smiled. "Fresh batch of cakes today. I managed to abuse my authority and claim a piece for you. Chocolate velvet cake; your favorite." _

"_T-Thank you, Boss…" Chrome mumbled. _

"_So, how are things with you, Chrome? Is Lambo giving you any trouble?" Tsuna asked as he took a bite of his own strawberry shortcake. _

"_N-No. Lambo-chan is doing well with his duties." Chrome answered. _

_Tsuna hummed and nodded. "I'm glad. I knew you were the best choice to help Lambo with his Guardian training." _

"_Boss… chose me first?" Chrome asked. _

_Tsuna nodded, "I can't choose Hayato. Those two are like brothers, but the amount of time spent bickering will be too much. As efficient as Takeshi is, he's more of an actions person. He can do things, but he's not good at teaching. Ryohei is even worse at teaching. And Kyouya is just out of the picture. You were the obvious choice from the very beginning." Tsuna grinned mischievously, "Besides, Lambo is pretty attached to you. This Tsuna-nii is getting jealous." _

_Chrome blushed deeply. "B-Boss, y-you're n-n-not s-serious… are you?" _

"_A little." Tsuna chuckled. _

"_Boss…" Chrome murmured softly, bowing her head. _

_Tsuna sighed, "Come now, Chrome… It has already been nine years. Have we not proved that you can trust us?" _

_Chrome's head shot up as she shook her head rapidly, "N-No…! I-I mean… I know that I can trust Boss, Arashi, Ame, Hare, Lambo-chan and Kumo-san." _

"_Then you need to remember that we trust you too, Chrome." Tsuna smiled gently. "Don't keep doubting yourself, Chrome. You have grown from the you that had to constantly rely on Mukuro nine years ago." _

"…_Y-Yes, Boss." Chrome nodded. _

"_I need more than that, Chrome. You have to believe in yourself, no matter what. If ever something happens to the Family, we need you to cover us. Promise me, Chrome. Promise me that you'll never doubt your abilities anymore." Tsuna said. _

_Chrome closed her eye momentarily and reopened them, staring firmly at Tsuna. "Yes, Boss. I promise." _

_Tsuna smiled. He sat back as a familiar purple mist immediately surrounded the female Mist Guardian, replacing her with her counterpart. _

"_Hello, Mukuro. Fancy some cake?" Tsuna asked in greeting. _

_Mismatched eyes watched him closely before Mukuro spoke, "You're planning something." _

_Tsuna was unfazed. "So are you." _

_Mukuro shrugged and smiled eerily. _

"_Well. Most likely your plan will coincide with my plan and hopefully help out mine." Tsuna shrugged. "Still, whatever your plan is, Mukuro, be careful. Chrome still needs you."_

"_Oya, oya… Aren't you the one who was just convincing my dear Nagi-chan to be more independent?" Mukuro asked. _

_Tsuna rolled his eyes, "Depending on you for your abilities and depending on you for emotional support are two different things. Stop being jealous." He huffed. Tsuna mumbled something about 'possessive pineapples' as he happily took another bite of his cake, purposefully ignoring the mismatched orbs glaring from across him. _

…

Chrome sniffled softly as she stood up straighter, grabbing her trident tightly. Her eye, while still dull with regret, shone a little brighter after the little trip down the memory lane.

_Boss, don't worry. I promised you. The family is broken right now, but this it is exactly my duty: to create something from nothing, and nothing from something; bewildering the enemy and rendering the family's true form intangible with visions of deceit. I will step up and cover the family. That's why… Boss… please don't worry about us._

* * *

Ryohei knew that his _'extreme_' persona started from the very moment his little sister was born. Seeing that small, frail bundle, Ryohei immediately felt the need to protect her and he had lived his life like that. Somewhere along the way, he fell into the persona he created to keep his sister happy, making it his way of life.

When he met Tsuna, he was immediately reminded of the sense of protectiveness that overwhelmed him back when his sister was born. And with that, he silently swore that he would protect the brunette too.

But now… seeing the coffin in front of him, he felt like a failure.

Yet… Ryohei knew he couldn't afford to be down for long. In boxing, every second counts, and life was no different.

It was now, and especially now, that he had to be strong.

He made a promise, after all.

…

"_Ah. You're training again." Tsuna announced as he entered the empty gym. _

"_Yo, Sawada." Ryohei greeted with a grin. "What are you doing here _to the extreme_?" _

"_Taking a break from paperwork." Tsuna grinned. "I figured this was the last place Hayato will look, plus you're probably here, so I here I am."_

"_I've been training for a while. Time for me to take a _extreme _break too." Ryohei said as he slumped onto the bench beside Tsuna. _

_The Sun Guardian immediately picked up his towel and wiped off some of the sweat off his face before grabbing the large bottle of water he brought with him, pouring some onto his heated face and gulping down some of the water greedily afterwards. _

_All that done, Ryohei turned to Tsuna, only to blink in confusion when he saw the brunette smiling at him. "…Sawada?" _

"_Oh…! Sorry, Ryo." Tsuna grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Seeing you always makes me smile, no matter what mood I was in." _

"_Ehh?" Ryohei blinked. _

_Tsuna chuckled, "Onii-san is always so bright and cheerful, just like the Sun. Somehow, you make it almost impossible to frown at your presence. That's why, every time I see onii-san, I can't help but smile." _

"_That's a good thing, right?" Ryohei asked. _

_Tsuna laughed, "Yes. It is."_

"_Then it's _extremely _fine." Ryohei grinned. _

"_You know… They will probably never admit it, but it's the same for Hayato and the rest too." Tsuna remarked. "Onii-san just has that effect on us. Except maybe Kyouya." _

"_The day Hibari smiles will be _extremely _bad." Ryohei frowned. _

"…_Yep. Definitely." Tsuna shuddered. "You know… Seeing you reminded me of something." _

"_What is it?" Ryohei frowned. _

"_Ne, onii-san… This is probably selfish of me, but__…_ Promise me you'll be strong even when things are down, alright?" Tsuna smiled. "Hayato always tries to be strong, and Takeshi would always try to keep things to himself, but_…_ I know that myself, Lambo and Chrome will subconsciously look for you as a pillar of strength whenever things go wrong. That's why_…_ Promise me, no matter how bad it is_…_ You have to make the Sun come out."  


"…_Sure, Sawada!" Ryohei grinned, seeing the unreadable look in the brunette's eyes. _

_It wasn't uncommon to see that look in Tsuna nowadays. The Vongola Decimo was almost always concerned with the many threats against Vongola. Not being able to help as much as he wished, Ryohei figured that it was the least he could do. _

_That smile on Tsuna's face made it all worthwhile anyways. _

…

Ryohei clenched his fists and piercing grey eyes fixed themselves on the coffin once more.

_Sawada… You called me 'onii-san'. You even once said that I was everyone's onii-san. That's why… Don't worry. It's my duty to destroy the misfortune that attacks us with my body. I wll become the Sun, like you wished, and shine brightly on us. I will make everyone stand up again. And I will give it my all and protect them in your stead._

* * *

_Guilt. Remorse. Regret. _

That was the only few emotions left in Gokudera as he stood, shellshocked, in front of the coffin. He felt Lambo lean into him and he responded almost automatically, wrapping an arm around the teen.

He knew he had to be strong; he was the leader of the Guardians; Vongola's Second-in-Command.

But the _guilt_ was eating at him, his _remorse_ overwhelming him, _regret_ swallowing him whole.

Gokudera didn't know _how _he was going to move on, even knowing that he already had an answer.

…

"_**Hayato**__!" _

_Gokudera jumped, his pen falling from his hand as he reached for his Box instinctively. His vision focused, trying to detect the threat, only to find caramel orbs staring back at him. "J-Jyuudaime…?" _

"_Finally recognized me, did you?" Tsuna huffed. "Hayato. It's two in the morning. It's time to sleep."_

"_It's fine, Jyuudaime. I'll be done in a bit." Gokudera replied, almost dismissively as he picked up his pen again. _

_Tsuna crossed his arms and glared. Amazingly, his Right-Hand man ignored him as he continued to work. Huffing in exasperation, Tsuna strolled over to the couch and settled down. "Fine. In a little bit, right? Then I'll sit here until you're done." _

"_J-Jyuudaime…" Gokudera frowned. _

"_Hayato. I know you're my Right-Hand man, and essentially Vongola's Second-in-Command, but there's no need to work yourself this hard." Tsuna reprimanded. _

"_It's not that, Jyuudaime. It's just, I've been tutoring Lambo, so I'm getting behind on my work." Gokudera explained. _

"_What work?" Tsuna questioned. _

"_Umm, financials and the preparation for the meeting in three days and such." Gokudera replied. _

"_Hayato. You can finish the preparation tomorrow. And financials can wait; I'll give you an extra week to turn it in." Tsuna instructed. "Now, come. It's time to retire." _

_Gokudera glanced between his beloved Boss and the paperwork on his desk. _

"_That's an order, Hayato." Tsuna pulled his last trump card. _

_Gokudera sighed in defeat. "Yes, Jyuudaime…"_

_Tsuna pouted, "Mou, Hayato. You have to take better care of yourself." He chided. "When you pledged your loyalty to me, you swore to be my back-up if anything happens to me right?" _

"_Jyuudaime, please don't talk like that…" Gokudera frowned. "I certainly did, but I'd rather I never have to step up." _

"_But you have to promise." Tsuna said. "A Family without head will only drive itself into destruction. If ever something happens to me, be it I'm ill or injured, you will step up to lead the Vongola. It is not only your promise to me, but also your duty as my Storm Guardian and Right-Hand man." _

_Gokudera stared at Tsuna before getting up from his desk. He walked over and knelt down on one knee in front of Tsuna, and kissed the ring that sat on Tsuna's right hand. _

"_I promise, Jyuudaime. I swear my life on it." _

…

Gokudera barely resisted the urge to chuckle.

He did make a promise, a solemn vow. The timing was almost eerie, but Gokudera couldn't really care.

_I won't forget my promise, Jyuudaime. I swear to lead Vongola in your absence. But I am the Storm Guardian; the one continuously at the heart of the attack, the furious storm that never rests. Even though I have my duties, and my duties will always take priority, I swear it on my pride and honor that I– _We _will get your revenge, Jyuudaime._

_Rest well__…_ my Don.  


* * *

"Haya-nii…" Lambo murmured, shuffling even closer to the silverette, basking in the little warmth he managed to steal. "…I miss Tsuna-nii."

The older Guardians all glanced at each other with a soft look in their eyes. Gokudera handed over the umbrella he was holding to Yamamoto, who moved over to shield them as the silverette knelt down, holding Lambo by the shoulders. Gokudera's smile was strained, yet warm as he spoke, "I miss Jyuudaime too. We all do. But we have to be strong. Jyuudaime trusted in us and he left Vongola in our care. We can be sad, we can mourn for however long we want. But we have to stand up and protect the Vongola Famiglia Jyuudaime loved so much."

"Haya-nii…!" Lambo wailed as he buried himself in Gokudera's embrace, sobbing into the Storm Guardian's suit.

"Why… Why did Tsuna have to go…?" Yamamoto mumbled.

"Jyuudaime said… If he could settle this without violence, he would do anything for it." Gokudera said softly. "That's why… even though he knew perfectly well the risk, he went anyway. Because he wanted to protect us."

"Boss…" Chrome sniffled as she wiped away the reemerging tears.

"Sawada… is such an idiot." Ryohei swallowed.

"That's the kind of person Sawada Tsunayoshi is." Surprisingly, Hibari was the one who spoke up.

A gentle silence washed over them. The Guardians took a moment to reflect. Once again, they thought back to the promises they each made to their beloved Boss and family. They thought about their sworn duty. They thought about Tsuna. They thought of how they had all been laughing during dinner a mere week ago.

_It was alright_. They thought. _Tsuna may be gone, but we still have memories of him. We can stand up again. We can move on. _

The Guardians smiled.

"_Mah_." Yamamoto spoke up. "Should we head back?"

"Yeah. Before we all catch a cold." Ryohei sighed.

"Hn." Hibari hummed his agreement.

"I'm already feeling a little chilly…" Lambo whined.

"It's alright. Lambo-chan will warm up soon." Chrome smiled.

"Unlike all of you, I'm burning right up." Gokudera smirked.

At that moment, all six Vongola Guardians glanced up at the sky –the sky that was, only moments ago, covered with dark clouds and rain, and was now clear and blue, with the sun shining brightly. They thought back together to the last thing Tsuna had said to them, right before he was wheeled into surgery.

_'Don't worry. It'll be alright. I am the Sky who influences all, understands all and accepts all. No matter what happens, just look up and remember that I'm always be with you.'_

* * *

A/N: Sorry this took so long. The chapter itself was about 10k words in length, plus I was working parttime last week, so I had less time to write. That, and I was distracted by Lightning515...

Anyways. Now, before you peeps come after me with flaming torches and tridents, lemme explain some stuff.

Anyone and everyone who was asking about the grave in the previous chapter (Gokudera's chapter) as well as who the 'he' Tsuna refered to. YES, it is **Reborn**.  
Combine this with the warning I put in _every chapter_ that says that this fic is set in canon, between present and TYL, you'll come to the conclusions that this chapter is basically my take on canon!TYL!Tsuna's death.

That said, that should already answer if Tsuna's dead or not.

My apologies to people who reviewed that Gokudera's wound was considered critical. It honestly slipped my mind when I was writing it. I couldn't write that "and 1 time their Boss came back dead" because, it gives Tsuna's chapter away, and more importantly, it didn't make sense, since Tsuna really did came back critical, plus his death was... you know. (For peeps who don't know, please ask in review and I will answer, but beware of spoilers.)

Strangely enough, as I wrote this chapter; especially the funeral portion, I realised that each Guardian's duty would allow them to carry on even after they have lost their Sky. The only flashback I was unsatisfied with was Ryohei's. The ending was also a little rushed. Likely, I'll come back to this and improve on the flashback and the ending. (If that happens, I'll inform you guys in the AN next chapter.)

Now, in other news, I mentioned in the previous chapter that I will put up a time line. Here we go:

* * *

**(Present) **Ring Conflict _(Varia Arc) _– **(5YL~9YL)** First six chapters – **(9YL)** Sky Chapter _[Older!Tsuna shot]_ – **(9Y10M)** _Future Arc – _**(TYL) **Mukuro's chapter

l

– **(Present)** Inheritance_ Ceremony Arc (Shimon Arc) –_ **(Present)**_ Curse of the Rainbow Arc – _**(?YL) **Reborn's chapter

* * *

This should further clarify Tsuna's chapter and will also give you an idea on Mukuro's chapter coming after this, and Reborn's chapter after Mukuro. Same thing applies for the timeline, ask anything you want in the review and I will answer, but beware of spoilers.

While I am satisfied with Tsuna's chapter, I am rather worried about the reactions, because technically the summary and chapter sorta didn't match up. Once again, I apologize and thank you for reading.

That aside, THANK YOU so much for over a 100 reviews, follows and favorites! I didn't expect this to get so much response and I am very thankful for the support. *bows*

That's all for this time! See you guys next time on Mukuro's chapter~ Ciao Ciao~

**EDIT (01/02): **As if the ending wasn't sad enough, Never More from the Reincarnation:Persona 4 OST _had _to turn up on my playlist. And right after I was done editing, a happy, upbeat song came up. My playlist understands me! :x

Anyways, I've read through this entire chapter, editing language errors, revising sentences here and there. The more prominent changes are Ryohei's flashback portion as well as the ending.


	8. One More Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; _Spoilers_ for TYL!Arc; Set in the canon world. This chapter is set _after the Future Arc_ (TYL after present!Guardians returned to their own time).

**CHAPTER WARNING: **There may be medical inconsistency, such as degree of wound versus recovery time/survival rates. I've tried to do my research, but it's really hard to get a straight answer. Also bear in mind that in the KHR universe, we have Sun flames that can heal, so what is normally impossible might just be possible.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**Special Note: **As with Chrome's chapter, italics paragraphs separated by lines takes place in the mindscape. Also, dialogue in italics takes place through the mind (something like telepathy?) (Again, you'll know it when you see it. Just to give a headsup.)

**EDIT (01/02): **Credits to Lightning515 and Lyndine for pointing out one plot error (you guys pointed out the same thing). Thank you! Also, credit to Lightning515 again for spotting word use error. The aforementioned mistakes has been corrected. I'm sorry for my epic failure in not seeing that mistake. *gives marshmallows*

* * *

**One More Time**

**Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy, to render the Famiglia's true form intangible with visions of deceit.**

**10th Generation Mist Guardian: Rokudo Mukuro**

"Yo, Tsu… na….?" Dino blinked as he paused in the doorframe of the meeting room.

The recently 'resurrected' Vongola Decimo (so to speak; after all, he never actually died, and was only resting in a death-like state) sat at the head of the meeting room desk surrounded by piles of papers and files. Three seats down either side of him, the Tenth Vongola Storm Guardian and Rain Guardian sat, each with their own piles of work.

If it wasn't because the atmosphere had felt so tense, Dino would have thought that the meeting room had been turned into a paperwork factory.

Tsuna glanced up from the document he was reading and smiled at his adoptive older brother, "Hello, Dino-nii. It's been a long while."

"Umm. Yeah." Dino nodded, glancing discreetly at the two Vongola Guardians who had stopped working (but kept their vision to the document they were reading) the moment he entered. "You know, if you're busy, I can come another day…"

"Oh _no_." Tsuna smiled pleasantly –a little _too _pleasantly, Dino noted– and gestured to the empty seat to the right of him. "Please stay."

"…Okay." Dino hesitantly took a seat.

Tsuna glanced over at his two Guardians and called out, "Hayato. I'm running out of coffee. Would you mind getting me a fresh cup from the kitchen? And do get one for Dino-nii as well."

"Ehh?" Dino blinked. "It's alright. I'll only be here for a while."

Tsuna smiled again, "I _insist_."

Dino swallowed and shrank back in his seat. "O-Okay."

"Hayato?" Tsuna turned to his Storm Guardian again.

It took a trained eye to notice the split-second hesitation Gokudera had before getting up. "Yes, Jyuudaime." The silverette walked over to retrieve Tsuna's empty mug.

"Why don't you go with him, Takeshi?" Tsuna suggested innocently.

"E-Eh…?" Yamamoto blinked. "Uhhh…" The raven glanced between Tsuna's overly-friendly smile (along with, of course, that dangerous, threatening glint in the brunette's eyes) and Gokudera's meaningful glare. With a sigh, Yamamoto got up from his seat and replied, "Umm. Sure. The, uhh, kitchen… had a new batch of seafood today… I'll make some sushi or something."

"Thank you, Takeshi." Tsuna smiled.

Dino helpfully remarked, "Thank you, Yamamoto! I haven't had TakeSushi for some time!"

Gokudera scowled and as soon as the two Guardians slipped from the room, the Storm Guardian began lecturing and yelling at his fellow Guardian. When their voices finally faded away, Tsuna sighed and slumped into his seat.

"…So… I guess your Guardians weren't too impressed with the stunt you pulled?" Dino asked.

Tsuna groaned, "_'weren't too impressed' _is an understatement. Once they got over the _'thank goodness you're alive' _phase –which only took a week. _**A **__week! _Is that how much I'm worth?!– they got into the _'overprotective' _phase."

"Which includes doing paperwork together?" Dino arched an eyebrow.

"Basically, they decided together –_**eight **__against __**one**_, mind you– that I am not allowed to leave their sight for however long until their satisfied, and they are now taking shifts to keep an eye on me. I'm practically accompanied by at least two Guardians twenty-four-seven!" Tsuna grumbled.

"Even at night?" Dino blinked. "…Wait, _eight_?"

"Yeah. All seven of my Guardians, including Mukuro, _and _Reborn." Tsuna grumbled. He rolled his eyes in annoyance as he continued, "They use the _Difesa A Circolo _on my room at night. And since my Flames are conveniently still messed up from the side-effect of the bullet, I don't have enough power to break through."

Dino snickered before breaking out into complete laughter.

Tsuna huffed and pouted, crossing his arms.

"Well… That's certainly… '_overprotective_'…!" Dino managed between peals of laughter. "But you can't exactly blame them… We all thought you had died, _otouto_."

"…I know." Tsuna nodded.

"Was there really no other way than to call your past selves here?" Dino questioned.

Tsuna nodded again. "The Tri-ni-Sette is an entity in itself. Only those who are part of the Tri-ni-Sette have the abilities to deal with their counterpart. The Arcobaleno are the guardian of time, and cannot interfere. The only things that can match the Mare Rings are the Vongola Rings, which I have destroyed. It is true that if we pressed on, it just might be possible to win against Millifiore, but that will result in a causality that is too large for us to carry." Tsuna explained.

"Mare Rings are sealed, Vongola Rings destroyed and the Sky Arcobaleno no longer exists… If the Tri-ni-Sette is really the foundation of the world as they say, I wonder what will happen to our world?" Dino remarked thoughtfully.

"I don't know." Tsuna shrugged. "We'll just have to deal with it when it comes, I guess."

Dino nodded. "So, how's Reborn?"

"He's still resting, as is the rest of the Arcobaleno. They've been working since they revived, and they haven't had the time for fully rest and recover. Once they've recovered, it seems that they are splitting up once again until they're needed." Tsuna replied.

"By the way… how did _our _Reborn revive? I mean, when Yuni revived the Arcobaleno, the past Reborn was there." Dino asked.

"Reborn's pacifier, _our _Reborn's pacifier, was with me. He revived with me, in a sense, after our past selves returned to their time." Tsuna explained. "Dino-nii… Thank you for helping us during all this time."

Dino tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Yuni passed me the memories, too. I saw everything from after I 'died'. I've seen my Guardians mourn, pull themselves together and move on. I've seen my past self and his Guardians coming here, seeing them find their wills and determinations, and seen their growth and success. And I'm proud of them, my own Guardians especially." Tsuna smiled. "I knew my 'death' would be hard on them, and I honestly didn't expect them to stand up so easily. But each of them pulled themselves together and did their duties to protect the Vongola Famiglia."

"Everyone has certainly… matured into their own roles." Dino remarked, a soft smile on his face.

Tsuna nodded, smiling back at his surrogate older brother. The two fell silent then, as Dino stared at him for some time, an unreadable look on his face. Tsuna stared back at him with a look of confusion as he tried to figure out what the blond was doing –_lost_ _in thought, perhaps?_ There was a strange look in his eyes; a mix of many different emotions that Tsuna couldn't really identify.

And suddenly, without any warning, Dino got up and drew Tsuna into an embrace. The blond had bent down and buried his face in the brunette's shoulder.

"D-Dino-nii…?" Tsuna called softly in confusion.

"…Thank you… for being alive… _otouto_." Dino murmured. "I'm glad that you're alive."

Tsuna understood it then.

Dino was _relieved_.

Relieved that Tsuna, whom Dino had declared to be his younger brother in every way but blood, was _**alive**_.

Slowly, Tsuna raised his own arms and hugged Dino back. "I'm glad to be alive too, Dino-nii." Tsuna said softly. "…I'm glad to be alive."

* * *

A knock on the door alerted the two Bosses that Gokudera and Yamamoto were back. At Tsuna's permission, the door crept opened and the two Guardians came in, Gokudera holding two steaming cups of coffee in hand while Yamamoto held a plate of assorted sushi.

"_Tadaima_!" Yamamoto announced cheerfully.

"Idiot. You sound like you just came back from a mission or something." Gokudera rolled his eyes as he set down the coffee.

"I did! From making sushi!" Yamamoto grinned, carefully putting down the plate along with two sets of chopsticks.

"Uwaahh…!" Tsuna cheered.

"This looks wonderful." Dino grinned widely.

The two brothers grabbed a pair of chopstick respectively, and with a quick glance at each other, they swiped a sushi for themselves.

"_Itadakimasu_!"

"Uwaaahh!" Tsuna's eyes shone brightly in delight.

"This is _good_!" Dino complimented.

Tsuna nodded, and turned to Yamamoto as he continued, "I need to make you cook more often, Takeshi."

Yamamoto chuckled and grinned, "Sure. I'll do it anytime."

Tsuna smiled brightly and grabbed another sushi to eat. And just when he was swallowing–

"Tsuna-nii! Mukuro's back and he's injured!"

–the door slammed open without any warning, and in came one Vongola Decimo's Lightning Guardian.

Tsuna coughed harshly as his hands automatically went to his throat. Thankfully, Tsuna somehow managed to forcefully swallow the sushi down and he quickly drowned the water Gokudera handed over to him. The Vongola Decimo let out a breath as he sat back in his chair, panting for breath. _I… honestly… I'd rather be killed by Byakuran or some assassin than by choking. How embarrassing can that get…?! _Tsuna glanced over to where Gokudera had Lambo in a headlock while screaming into the poor teen's ears (even if he _did _deserve it) while Yamamoto tried unsuccessfully to calm down the Storm Guardian (or pry him off).

"Hayato, sto–" Tsuna cut himself off, staring at the duo with wide opened eyes.

"Uhh… Tsuna…?" Dino gently touched the brunette's upper arm tentatively.

"L-_Lambo_!" Tsuna called out hastily.

"Y-Yes!" Lambo jumped. "…I mean, yes?"

"D-Did… Did you just put 'Mukuro' and 'injured' in the same sentence?!" Tsuna all but demanded.

"Uh-huh…" Lambo managed to nod, despite still being held in the headlock.

"B-But… But that's…" Tsuna stammered.

"Jyuudaime, what's wrong?" Gokudera frowned. Lambo managed to use this opportunity to slip out of the headlock with a grin in victory. Gokudera 'tch'-ed, but let it go –though no without viciously ruffling the teen's ridiculous afro first. As Lambo whined, Gokudera smirked before turning back to his rather stunned Boss. "I know you don't really like to hear this, but it's not uncommon for us to come back from missions with injuries, Jyuudaime."

"Yeah." Yamamoto agreed. "I even got injured on a mission to collect intel!" The Rain Guardian grinned sheepishly.

Tsuna barely resisted the urge the nod in approval when his Right-Hand man unceremoniously whacked his fellow Guardian over the head. Instead, he continued, explaining, "That mission that I sent Mukuro on… was originally supposed to be assigned to Lambo. But then I remembered that Lambo had a test this week, so I decided against it and gave it to Mukuro. I thought it could be a warm-up for him or something like that."

"Doesn't seem like he should be injured on a mission like that." Dino frowned.

Tsuna nodded.

"I saw him. Mukuro wasn't really that injured, but he was scratched up a bit." Lambo piped up.

"I don't expect him to get even a single scratch…" Tsuna frowned. "Medical ward, right? I'm going to see him."

"Oh! Ryo-nii asked Tsuna-nii to see him. Ryo-nii said he had something to talk to you about." Lambo said sheepishly.

"Lambo…" Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. "That kind of thing should be said first!"

"I-I'm sorry…!" Lambo sniffled.

Tsuna sighed in exasperation. "I-It's alright, Lambo. Just… don't forget it next time." Tsuna said.

With a glance at his Guardians, Tsuna took off, stepping out of the room quickly. Gokudera, Yamamoto and Lambo followed without a second thought. Dino glanced at the meeting room door and then turned to the plate of sushi in front of him. With one last, longing look at the soon-to-be-abandoned sushi, Dino sighed and headed out, mourning quietly for the lost of his sushi.

* * *

"Ryo!"

The Sun Guardian in question blinked when his office door was slammed open and five people pushed their way in. "Uhh… First of all, calm down. Mukuro's fine." Ryohei said.

Tsuna sighed as he nodded. "…Ehh? Kyouya, Chrome? What are you two doing here?"

"Hibari brought Kusakabe in. Kusakabe broke an arm on his last mission; one of my men is patching him up now. I called Chrome over. I was going to call Hibari too, but he's already here." Ryohei answered. "If you're wondering where Mukuro is, he's sleeping in one of the private ward."

"A-Asleep?" Tsuna arched an eyebrow. "Lambo said he was only scratched up a little."

"I, uhh… Might have drugged him a little." Ryohei replied sheepishly.

"You gave him sedatives?!" Tsuna exclaimed. Ryohei flinched, but nodded. "Why…?!"

Ryohei frowned and gestured for the group to follow. Chrome followed without hesitation, though surprisingly, Hibari did as well. The Sun Guardian led them to the private ward where Mukuro was sleeping in and asked them to observe the unconscious bluenette.

Mukuro was, as both Ryohei and Lambo said, merely scratched up. Since the illusionist was covered up by the bed covers, the group couldn't see any visible injuries, but since said injuries are minor, the group could safely assume that Mukuro had no wounds remaining.

…Physically, at least.

"…Ryo… didn't you say that Mukuro's under sedation?" Tsuna asked.

Ryohei nodded.

"Then… Why does he look so…" Gokudera trailed off, unable to find a way to phrase his question properly.

"He looks twitchy." Lambo said simply.

"Kinda look like fish out of water." Yamamoto grinned.

"Mukuro-sama…" Chrome called worriedly.

"Herbivores." Hibari growled out, unable to stand the utterly inaccurate statements any longer. "The pineapple herbivore is fighting the sedation."

"…Umm, what Hibari said." Ryohei acknowledged.

Tsuna frowned as he turned back to the slumbering illusionist. "…Mukuro… looks tired, even in his sleep. He's sedated, but he's fighting it." Tsuna murmured. His eyebrow furrowed in worry and his eyes clouded over with concern. He stepped closer to the glass panel and gently pressed a hand to it. "Ryo… What's going on with him? This… This isn't like Mukuro at all."

"He's either not sleeping very well, or not sleeping at all." Ryohei answered. "No other way he can be this exhausted. The wounds he came back with were just some minor cuts, most likely because he couldn't dodge the attacks completely."

"But Mukuro is an illusionist. A very strong illusionist." Dino finally spoke up. "He's an all-rounder. He can fight anywhere from close-range to long-range using his combat skills and illusions. The chance of him getting injured is slim, if not none."

Tsuna still had his sight on his male Mist Guardian. "Chrome…" He called.

"Yes, Boss?"

"…Are you able to infiltrate Mukuro's mind without him finding out?" Tsuna asked.

"Umm… I think so. But I have to exit within five minutes or Mukuro-sama will detect that someone is intruding in his mind…" Chrome answered softly.

Tsuna closed his eyes as he pondered over the idea. "…Go for it." He decided. "Enter Mukuro's mind. I want to know what is going on in that idiot's head recently. Get whatever you can and exit in four minutes."

"Umm, four minutes, Boss?" Chrome questioned.

"Yeah." Tsuna nodded. "Mukuro detecting you is one thing, but his mind defenses are pretty strong. I don't want you to be hurt when it kicks in." Tsuna sighed. "Also, I already have an idea. I need you to confirm it for me."

"I understand, Boss." Chrome nodded. She summoned her trident as indigo Mist flames burst from her Vongola Mist Ring. "_Itekimasu_."

* * *

_Any normal person's mindscape usually took the form of an empty hallway. The hallway may bend, it may even stretch on endlessly, but that hallway will only be one way; it will never branch out. The single, long hallway would be lined with countless of doors on both sides. _

_That hallway represents life. _

_The hallway will stretch itself and extend itself as life goes on to accommodate more doors. _

_Behind each door lies a memory. Be it good, bad or even something that one wished to forget; once that door is created, it will never disappear. _

_Illusionists, however, had more special mindscapes for they are masters of the mind. The mindscape of an illusionist differed from person to person, depending on one's preferences. _

_Chrome herself had chosen something simple for her own mindscape –a plain, open field because that was what suited her. Plain. Simple. Peaceful. It was what she wished for herself. Her memories were kept in the leaves of the ever blooming lone tree in her mindscape. As the tree flourishes, branching out further and further, so had her memories as they accumulate over time. The tree was perfect for her. While old leaves may fall, new leaves will sprout. It was better for her that way. She knew her new memories would definitely be much better than her old ones. _

_Chrome didn't know what she was expecting when she entered her beloved Mukuro-sama's mind. She had expected that it wouldn't be anything normal; it would be something… extraordinary. _

_She didn't expect herself to appear in a dark space in the middle of nowhere. She could still see own fingers, but barely. Chrome didn't dare to move from her spot. She knew it was highly unlikely that she was in a hallway, considering whose mind she was in, yet the nature of the illusionist whose mind she was in made it fairly impossible for her to predict the true scenery around her. _

_The female Mist Guardian frowned as she thought about what she could do. It was wise to retreat, yet the small, irrational part of her mind didn't want to just leave. Not only did she want to help her Boss, she also didn't want to waste the rare opportunity she had to visit Mukuro's mind. After moments of pondering, Chrome sighed softly and decided to gather what she could. Holding her trident in front of her, she closed her eyes and focused all her senses, gathering every little bit of detail in her mind. _

_Chrome found herself slowly feeling suffocated. It was though the very space she was in –wherever that was– was closing in on her. Strangely enough, she still felt like she was breathing in air normally, although she could realized that she could barely move. Chrome opened her eye and gasped softly. She couldn't even see her trident anymore, despite being able to see it earlier. The darkness around her started to move, and she saw herself being swallowed by the darkness bit by bit. _

_Concentrating on her Dying Will flames, she was quickly surrounded by indigo flames as she disappeared from the pit of darkness._

* * *

When Chrome came to, she found herself lying on one of the couches in Ryohei's office. More accurately, her body was lying on the couch, but her head was resting on someone's lap.

Chrome blushed furiously as she scrambled to sit upright, brushing her skirt down hastily. "B-Boss…!"

Tsuna smiled at her from beside her. "_Okaeri_, Chrome."

"Are you alright?" Ryohei asked from his seat at his desk. He had taken to doing some paperwork in the short amount of time that Chrome was diving into Mukuro's mind.

The group retreated back to Ryohei's office during that time. Dino had excused himself, seeing as he only came to see how his little brother was doing and he had long overstayed. Gokudera, Yamamoto and Lambo sat on the opposite couch with Lambo in the middle while Hibari stuck to his preferred wall again.

"Y-Yes." Chrome nodded.

"Sorry to sound so impatient, but what have you found out, Chrome?" Tsuna asked.

Chrome frowned and played with her fingers, something that Tsuna noted easily. "When I arrived in Mukuro-sama's mind, I was in the middle of a pitch-black space. I felt like I was suffocating, but I was still breathing normally."

"Is that normal?" Tsuna questioned.

"I'm not sure." Chrome answered quietly. "While non-illusionists tend to share the same type of mindscapes, illusionists tend to change their mindscape to fit what they prefer. For example, my own mindscape is different from Mukuro-sama's, or even Fran-chan's." Chrome explained. "But… I don't think that's what Mukuro-sama's mindscape really looks like."

"So, then… You mean that is likely what's affecting Mukuro right now?" Tsuna asked.

Chrome nodded.

"But what does that mean?" Yamamoto frowned.

"Her being in a blank space out of nowhere doesn't necessarily mean it is what's affecting that pineapple, Jyuudaime." Gokudera agreed.

"No…" Tsuna shook his head. "That is _exactly _what is affecting Mukuro." Tsuna said. "Chrome, thank you. What you found out proves my own theory."

"What did Tsuna-nii think of?" Lambo asked.

Tsuna had a strained smile on his face as he explained. The Guardians fell silent. There was not a single teasing remark or any mocking comments. Each of them had a frown on their faces as their eyes darkened. Tsuna noted with an inward smile that both his Storm and Rain Guardian looked furious –in fact, Gokudera looked like he wanted to storm right out and bomb the culprits.

"Alright." Tsuna called out, gathering his Guardians' attention. "I know all of you are angry, but that was in the past. While we shouldn't forget the past, it wouldn't do us much good if we dwell too much on it either." Tsuna said, nodding when he saw his more explosive Guardians calm down at his words. "What we need to focus on is how to deal with Mukuro."

"Omnivore." Hibari narrowed his eyes. "Out with it. You already have a plan."

Tsuna smiled.

* * *

Mukuro woke up with an intention to kill –rather, _torture _then _**kill**_. A sigh in the room quickly caught his attention and he snapped his head over, ready to snap at whichever unfortunate soul was there.

"Mukuro, do you always wake up with such a stronge killer intent? Sheesh, one would think that your beauty sleep was interrupted or something."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…" Mukuro hissed. "Where is Sasagawa Ryohei?"

"I figured you will want to torture him and kill him the first thing after you wake up, so I have him hiding for a while." Tsuna replied.

Mukuro's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "How dare that boxer idiot slip me sedation?! When I see him… I'll make sure his mind is so scrambled, he won't even remember his own name!" Mukuro huffed. "And _you_!" He pointed to Tsuna, who blinked at him in confusion. "Why in the six hells are you doing paperwork _here_ of all places?!"

Tsuna blinked. True, he had brought his paperwork with him again like the last time he visited Yamamoto.

While the threat of the Millifiore Famiglia was finally gone, Vongola and their alliances had suffered a lot of damages that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. The group was currently staying in the Japan's underground base in Namimori since the Vongola HQ in Italy had been utterly destroyed and practically needed to be rebuilt from scratch. Tsuna didn't want to intrude on the Cavallone HQ in Italy (despite repeated offers from the Cavallone Decimo himself) and the Varia mansion was also half-destroyed, needing their own construction. Not only so, the Vongola was also helping out the attacked allied Families at the same time, leading to a huge headache on Tsuna's part. All of the above –rebuilding, manpower allocation and the usual workings of the Vongola Famiglia, Tsuna was practically _drowning _in paperwork, despite Gokudera's efforts at attempting to help with said paperwork.

Of course he had no choice but to bring the paperwork with him. Surprisingly, Mukuro had slept for another four hours after being taken off the sedation –four _precious _hours to clear more paperwork for Tsuna; of course the Don Vongola had to bring his paperwork along to do!

"Because," Tsuna started slowly, "If I get behind on my paperwork, Reborn will _shoot_ me." He replied innocently. "And someone needs to keep an eye on you. You're on bed rest for at least the rest of the day, and I'm probably the only one who can stay in the same room all day without killing you or themselves."

Mukuro arched an eyebrow.

"Hayato will start a fight with you; you will torture Yamamoto; Lambo will be sent crying; Chrome just got back from her own mission and is resting; and Kyouya… Well, that's self-explanatory." Tsuna explained. "Just be good for the next few hours, Mukuro, and get some rest."

"I refuse." Mukuro growled.

It was Tsuna's turn to arch an eyebrow at him.

"I am perfectly alright. There is no reason at all that I require bed rest. Why should I stay here?" Mukuro demanded.

"Sorry, Mukuro. When it comes to health, Ryohei has the absolute authority. If he says you need bed rest, then you need bed rest. Even Kyouya doesn't disobey him –with help with Kusakabe-san." Tsuna explained. "So, you're stuck here. Just in case, this entire room has been coated with my Sky flames so you can't use your own flames to escape."

Mukuro snarled.

Tsuna smiled brightly at him, "Just rest, Mukuro. It's fine. You look like you need it too."

Mukuro narrowed mismatched eyes at the Vongola Decimo, his lips pressed tightly into a thin line. Tsuna glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes while keeping his sight on the document he was reading. The brunette sighed, about to speak when the door opened.

"Jyuudaime, we're back!" Gokudera announced cheerfully.

"Oh, Mukuro! You're up! How are you feeling?" Yamamoto asked.

"…_Peachy_." Mukuro hissed.

"Umm… H-Hayato, T-Takeshi…" Tsuna swallowed nervously. "_Why _are you guys here?"

"Have you forgotten your punishment, Jyuudaime?" Gokudera looked _way _too happy saying that.

"_Oya, oya_. You're _still _under punishment, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro's eyes lit up in amusement.

The Storm and Rain Guardians gleefully ignored Tsuna's glare at them as Yamamoto helpfully answered, "Yep!"

"Kufufufufu… How _very _interesting…" Mukuro chuckled. "Do count me in. I'm a Guardian too, after all."

Tsuna glared at him, "You rejected Hayato before! You're just doing this in revenge!"

"Kufufufuf… I have no idea what you're talking about, Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro smirked.

"Why am I being targeted?! Your target is Ryo, isn't it?" Tsuna wailed.

"_Oya, oya_. As the Arcobaleno always says, _'The Boss is responsible for the actions of his subordinates'_." Mukuro replied.

Tsuna's mouth fell open as he stared disbelievingly at the illusionist. Yamamoto couldn't hold in his laughter and was laughing into his hand. Gokudera gently patted the brunette on the shoulder before turning to Mukuro, "I'll shuffle the arrangement and update the Guardians."

"…I hate all of you…" Tsuna grumbled, slumping in his seat.

"_Mah, mah_, Tsuna. You know we're just concerned about your well-being." Yamamoto replied.

"How long does this last?" Mukuro questioned.

"Until Reborn-san says it's fine." Gokudera answered.

Tsuna shot upright. "Reborn has a say in this?!" Gokudera nodded. "This will _never _end! I might as well live in a bloody cell!" Tsuna covered his face with both of his hands and wailed.

Mukuro and Yamamoto laughed –the former purely in amusement while the latter sheepishly, while Gokudera tried in vain to cheer his Boss up. Meanwhile, the door of the private ward was knocked and two more people came in.

"M-Mukuro-sama!" Chrome greeted, smiling brightly when she saw her Mist Guardian counterpart sitting upright in bed and looking rather lively.

"He's up!" Lambo cheered, despite still slightly in fear of the older illusionist.

"_Ara_, Nagi-chan. Tsunayoshi-kun said you were supposed to be resting." Mukuro said.

"Ahh… Lambo-chan told me that you were awake, so I came here right away…" Chrome replied.

Lambo hesitantly stepped closer to the bed. Mukuro stared at him in bemusement.

"Umm… Are you really okay?" Lambo asked.

"I'm perfectly alright." Mukuro answered, shooting another glare at Tsuna, who glared back in retaliation for the male Mist Guardian's agreement to join the ranks.

Lambo shuffled his feet nervously. Mukuro sighed, about to speak, only to get cut off when Lambo launched himself at him, hugging the bluenette at the waist. Mukuro's mouth would have fallen open if not for his self-control. The other Guardians all looked rather shocked –Gokudera's mouth _did _fall open, Yamamoto's eyes widened, Chrome blinked a few times and Tsuna… Well, the Sky Guardian blinked twice before a fond smile spread across his face.

Lambo lifted his head from where it was lying on Mukuro's chest as he smiled up at the older Guardian, "I'm glad you're fine, Muku-nii."

"M-Muku-nii?" Mukuro gasped.

Gokudera covered his mouth with a hand, but the sound of snickering was obvious. Yamamoto smiled awkwardly while Tsuna's smile spread, wider than ever.

"C-Can't… Can't I call you that…?" Lambo asked innocently, large green eyes peering up at Mukuro hopefully.

Tsuna barely held back his snickers. Once Lambo pulls the puppy-dog eyes, no one can resist him. Not even the great Hibari Kyouya dared to say _'no'_.

Mukuro blinked. Seeing the bluenette glance in his direction, Tsuna shot him a glare that _dared _him to say anything but 'yes'. That, along with the look of delight on Chrome's face, forced Mukuro to give his approval. "Y-You can call me that…"

"Thank you, Muku-nii!" Lambo smiled. "I hope you get well soon! _Ano_, Muku-nii? If you don't mind, I wanna learn about illusions from you."

"Oh?" Mukuro arched an eyebrow in amusement.

"Because… I'm not good at defending against illusion, and it'll be really troublesome if I get stuck in one. Even though Tsuna-nii usually sends me on mission with Chrome-nee, it'll be better if I can fight against it, right?" Lambo said.

"Certainly." Mukuro nodded in agreement. "However, why don't you ask Nagi-chan to teach you?"

"Chrome is like Takeshi in that aspect. They're fast in learning and even quicker in applying what they learn, but they don't make good teachers. Seeing that you're Chrome's teacher, it makes sense to ask you." Tsuna answered.

"Very well. I'll spare some time to teach you." Mukuro agreed. "Kufufufufu… _Prepare for hell_."

Lambo shrank back a little. "…I'm starting to regret this a little…"

Another round of laughter broke out in the ward. It was then did Mukuro spot a certain someone lurking in the hallway, peeking in from the window pane. _"Stalking me now, little skylark?"_

Out in the hallway, Hibari narrowed his eyes and glared. _"Get out of my head, pineapple herbivore." _

"_This is rather entertaining, so… No." _Mukuro smirked. _"I'm surprised you're not attacking me." _

"_I don't fight injured little herbivores." _Hibari replied.

"_I'm perfectly capable of fighting. I will murder Sasagawa Ryohei when I see him." _Mukuro snarled.

"_Hn." _Hibari smirked. _"I'll bite you to death the next time I see you, pineapple herbivore." _

"_Leaving so soon? I'm wounded." _Mukuro replied.

Hibari glared before heading down the hallway he came. Mukuro chuckled as he retreated from Hibari's mind, feeling the Cloud Guardian's flame signal slowly fade away. Glancing back at the others, he found Gokudera in another argument with Lambo, while Yamamoto tried unsuccessfully to calm the two Guardians down. Tsuna had sighed in exasperation and figured that it was more worthwhile to do his paperwork while Chrome smiled fondly at the not-uncommon scene.

Staring at what was likely to become an everyday scene for him as well, Mukuro couldn't help but feel… _peaceful_.

Before he could wonder where that _ridiculous _word came from, his mind had already started to slow and shut down. Slowly but surely, his eyelids followed as they lowered. Just like that, he drifted off to sleep, a faint, barely visible smile on his face.

Tsuna, who had been quietly observing him, smiled when his male Mist Guardian finally fell asleep. He gestured to Chrome beside him, who moved to notify the other Guardians in the room, who all settled down slowly, so as to not attract attention from the bluenette by the sudden silence. The Guardians watched Mukuro for a while to ensure that the older illusionist was truly asleep before quietly creeping out of the room. Tsuna, too, got up to leave, the paperwork that he brought along with him already carried out by Yamamoto. He paused at the door momentarily, turning to glance at the slumbering Mist Guardian one more time.

"_Buona Notte_, Mukuro. _Oyasumi_."

* * *

"That will be all for this meeting." Tsuna announced. He barely stifled a yawn as he raised his arms above his head to do an upper body stretch. All around the meeting room, the Guardians were doing the same (except for Hibari, who left immediately as usual).

"This meeting is way too long, Tsuna." Yamamoto remarked.

"Sorry, but this is the first Guardian meeting we had ever since we settled things back then." Tsuna replied. "We have a lot of issues to sort out. Sorry."

"I'll get started on the Italy HQ renovations, Jyuudaime. I'll fly over there tomorrow." Gokudera announced.

"The Japan base needs to finish constructions too." Yamamoto frowned. "But Giannini has been working on it, so progress is alright."

"Tsuna-nii, we'll be moving back to the Italy HQ after it's done, right?" Lambo asked.

"Well, it _is _the Vongola Famiglia's Headquarters." Tsuna nodded.

"I'm gonna miss Mama again…" Lambo frowned.

"I'm sorry, Lambo…" Tsuna murmured.

Lambo shook his head. "It's not Tsuna-nii's fault. Plus, I've decided to be Tsuna-nii's Lightning Guardian, so I'll follow Tsuna-nii wherever you go!"

"Thank you, Lambo." Tsuna smiled. "I'll take a day off tomorrow. Let's go out together with Mama and the others, okay?"

"Really?" Lambo's eyes widened in delight. Tsuna nodded. Lambo squealed and ran over to hug Tsuna. "Thank you, Tsuna-nii! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

Tsuna chuckled, "Well, you're all dismissed. Kyouya has already dismissed himself anyway…" Tsuna sighed. "Oh, Mukuro! Hold on, I need to talk to you."

Taking the cue, Gokudera and Yamamoto began gathering their documents. Still fearing Mukuro's wrath (since the older illusionist has yet to get back at him for the sedation), Ryohei gathered his things _extremely _quickly and fled the room. Lambo walked out with Chrome, the two heading to the kitchen for a snack while Gokudera and Yamamoto headed for their own offices, having their own work to do.

Mukuro stepped over and arched an eyebrow at the Vongola Decimo, waiting for him to speak.

"Before I say it and you complain, I'll say this first: Every Guardian has gone through this; you're the last one." Tsuna said. "Mukuro, you need to go down to the medic wing to get a full physical assessment done. Health checkup, in other words. I've asked Ryohei to do it; he said he can handle it alone. We'll also need to do a combat assessment; basically, fight someone so we can see how your strength is coming along. I know you and Kyouya are itching to fight again, so he's your combat assessment opponent." Tsuna rolled his eyes at the illusionist's way-too-gleeful smirk. "One last thing; after the aforementioned two assessments are done, I'll be sending you on a mission where you'll be assessed by one of the Guardians to see how you handle missions. I have yet to decide who to send on that, so I'll get back to you on that."

"How… _troublesome_." Mukuro grumbled.

"Blame Primo. He started the practice and it has been faithfully carried out for the next nine generations, including ours." Tsuna replied. "Well, that's all for work." Tsuna said. "…Mukuro, are you sleeping well lately?"

Mukuro narrowed his eyes at him and merely grunted, "I'm sleeping."

"You know you can come to me for anything, right?" Tsuna said. "_On second thought_!" Tsuna hastily corrected himself at the reemerging smirk on the bluenette's face. "_Don't _come to me for everything!"

"Kufufufufu…" Mukuro chuckled.

"M-Mukuro…!" Tsuna groaned.

"So! Health checkup, right? I'll be seeing Sasagawa Ryohei, right?" Mukuro clapped his hands together, a sinister look on his face. "Well, I better get going, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna blinked at the speed at which the illusionist left the room. "…Maybe I should have told him about the health checkup at a later date… Sorry, onii-san. Good luck…" Tsuna murmured quietly to himself. The brunette glanced back at the door that Mukuro left open and smiled fondly.

'_I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'm glad that you're back. Don't worry, Mukuro. We're real. We're here. I swear I will never let that happen to you again. I was weak then, powerless and useless. But it's different this time. You are our Mist. You aggressively bewilder the enemy and protect us. Thank you, Mukuro. Welcome back.'_

* * *

_Special Omake~_

_~Extra Scene_

About three weeks have passed, making it a month after the Millifiore Famiglia's defeat.

All seven Vongola Guardians gathered in Tsuna's office, each taking their usual seats. Gokudera once again shared a couch with Ryohei and Yamamoto (much to the silverette's displeasure), while Chrome sat on the opposite couch in between Lambo and Mukuro. Hibari stood against the far wall as per normal. (_What is with Kyouya and the wall, anyway?_ Tsuna frowned.)

"…Is there any particular reason why all of you are here together without me summoning you?" Tsuna asked nervously. _It takes a miracle to get them together for a Guardian meeting. For Kyouya and Mukuro to be both around... I have a really bad feeling. Even if my Hyper Intuition is telling me otherwise. _

"After much deliberation and discussion," Gokudera spoke up as the representative of the Guardians. "We have decided to end your punishment, Jyuudaime."

Tsuna's mouth fell open in shock. "…You mean… I'm free?"

The Guardians nodded.

"You're not going to stick with me twenty-four-seven?" Tsuna asked.

Another nod.

"And no more barriers on my room at night?"

More nods.

"_Yatta_!" Tsuna cheered, throwing his arms above his head in delight.

"_However_!" Gokudera cut in. He couldn't help but cringe when Tsuna's smile fell immediately and he stared mournfully at the Guardians. "…We will _not _be allowing you to go for meetings alone ever again. At least one of us follows, if not two."

"Fair enough." Tsuna nodded. _Not that I've ever gone for a meeting alone anyway. The meeting with Millifiore was the first one. _

"Well, that's all." Gokudera said.

"Congratulations, Tsuna!" Yamamoto grinned.

"_Extreme_!" Ryohei screamed. "Sawada is _extremely _free!"

"Tsuna can go out again!" Lambo said.

"That's good, isn't it, Boss?" Chrome smiled.

Mukuro pouted, "I don't have a reason to follow Tsunayoshi-kun anymore. How sad."

Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. _Shut up, you perverted stalker! You randomly show up even if it's not your shift anyway! _

"Hn." Hibari smirked. "I'll bite you to death another time."

"To celebrate my newfound freedom, let's go out for dinner tonight. My treat." Tsuna announced.

As another round of cheers broke out, the door opened and a figure stepped in.

"Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna practically saw his hope left him as his face paled.

"That was the Guardians' punishment. _I _have yet to punish you."

Tsuna swallowed as his entire body shook in fear.

"Prepare to die, Dame-Tsuna."

"_IYAADDDDAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

A/N: So, after two chapters of angst and torture and making you guys cry (what with Gokudera almost dying and Tsuna 'dying'), I decided to give you guys something ligter an fluffier. :)

The last line in the omake is _'iyada'_, which means 'no'. Tsuna screams it a lot in canon. The other Japanese phrases are also pretty standard. So I didn't put a translation.

Anyways, YAY! Mukuro's chapter is done! Now, **lemme explain** a little.

Mukuro's fear: Mukuro's a pretty strong illusionist, so he has to have a very firm grasp on what's real and what's an illusion. However, a small part of him irrationally believes that this reality is a 'dream' his desperate mind made up and that he was still in Vendicare. Mukuro keeps getting nightmares that he was, in fact, still in Vendicare so he doesn't get enough sleep. Sometimes, he forgoes sleep altogther, and that's what caused him to be so exhausted. Chrome's description of Mukuro's mind describes him in the Vendicare prison (remember, it was said that Mukuro was thrown in the deepest depth of Vendicare prison, where even light cannot reach, hence the pitchblack darkness).

Tsuna's plan: Mukuro's fear, however irrational and small, was enough for him to fight sleep. Ryohei saw how exhausted he was and slipped Mukuro a sedation, but that fear was strong enough to cause Mukuro to unconsciously fight the sedation. So, after Chrome confirmed his thoughts, Tsuna ordered Ryohei to take Mukuro off the sedation. Instead, Tsuna stayed by Mukuro's bedside and asked the other Guardians to come in slowly, and be their usual self (a.k.a. fighting over ever little thing). This slowly convinced that small part of Mukuro that it was all real and he was really out of Vendicare. With that reassurance, Mukuro was finally able to fall asleep peacefully.

Tsuna's thought thingy's explanation is this: Tsuna has been trying for the past ten years to get Mukuro out of Vendicare prison, no matter how much be begged and negotiated with Vendice. Ten years ago, Tsuna could only watch Mukuro be dragged away by Vendice because he was Dame-Tsuna who couldn't even accept the idea of the Mafia.

I had Mukuro's chapter thought up way back in Chrome's chapter. As with Chrome, I think Mukuro's fear would deal with the mind more, and this was the first (and only) fear that came to mind. Sorry for the chapter. I realize it's more dialogue than description, but there was really not much I can describe about. (I have yet to be good at describing food...)

Ahh.. It's already Mukuro's chapter. Next is the last one, Reborn's. I feel a little sad that this project is ending. On a side note, I figured out Reborn's chapter! I told you I would figure it out in time! *does happy dance*

Also, **Tsuna's chapter has been reedited, particularly Ryohei's flashback and the ending is revised**. Do check it out if it's alright. :)

Timeline again. Take note of where Reborn's chapter is:

* * *

**(Present) **Ring Conflict _(Varia Arc) _– **(5YL~9YL)** First six chapters – **(9YL)** Sky Chapter _[Older!Tsuna shot]_ – **(9Y10M)** _Future Arc – _**(TYL) **Mukuro's chapter

l

– **(Present)** Inheritance_ Ceremony Arc (Shimon Arc) –_ **(Present)**_ Curse of the Rainbow Arc – _**(?YL) **Reborn's chapter

* * *

Alright. That's all for this time, peeps. See you in the next and last chapter, Reborn's chapter! Ciao Ciao~


	9. One Last Time

**Title: **6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured

**Summary: **…and 1 time their boss came back critical.

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

**Pairings: **None

**Warning: **OoC-ness; _Spoilers_ for the Curse of the Rainbow Arc; Set in the canon world. This chapter is set **10 years **_after the Curse of the Rainbow Arc/Arcobaleno Representative Battle Arc._

**ADDITIONAL WARNING: **There may be medical inconsistency, such as degree of wound versus recovery time/survival rates. I've tried to do my research, but it's really hard to get a straight answer. Also bear in mind that in the KHR universe, we have Sun flames that can heal, so what is normally impossible might just be possible. _Another thing: _I utterly and completely fail at Geography, so please give some leeway.

**Note: **When family is used with a capitalized _f_ (e.g. Family), it refers to any Mafia Family. When the normal version is used (e.g. family), it refers to the normal understanding of family. The same applies with the Flames of the Sky –e.g. _S_torm will refer to Storm flames, while _s_torm will refer to the weather condition.

**DEDICATION: **To Tiger723, the first requestor for a Reborn chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, since it was set as the last chapter. I hope you, along with all of my beloved readers, enjoy the final chapter of 6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured!

**Beta'd by Lightning515 **

* * *

A/N: Because Reborn's chapter is set in a different portion of Canon!KHR, please backtrack and read the 'WARNING' section. Also, take note that Reborn's **physical **age is _16_ in this chapter. Just for reference, Tsuna is 24 in this chapter.

* * *

**One Last Time**

**Destroying the misfortune that attacks the Famiglia in the shadows, the hidden Sun that lights up the Sky from the darkness.**

**Sun Arcobaleno: Reborn**

Tsuna was actually rather excited to be able to sit behind the wheel again.

It really _was _ironic how he was made to get his driver's license despite having either chauffeurs or his own Guardians driving him whenever he went. His driver's license ―the same one he went through a few rounds of hellish training (because Reborn said Bosses weren't allowed to fail driving tests else how would they lead their Families) to get― was practically gathering dust in each and every one of the wallets Tsuna went through! Tsuna wiggled gleefully in the driver's seat, adjusting the seat perfectly to his requirements, humming to himself in excitement.

That is, until he was unceremoniously whacked over the head by his 'Guardian' for the day.

"Reborn…!" Tsuna whined playfully.

"You're being too excited." The hitman scolded. "Start driving or we'll be late."

"Hey. I have a right to be excited." Tsuna huffed, but the brunette started driving, nevertheless.

The two were off for a leisure trip; Tsuna had made plans with his surrogate older brother for a day-of-relaxation-cum-bonding-day and Reborn was chosen to accompany the Vongola Decimo ―excellent choice, considering that Reborn was both the strongest hitman in the world _and _the teacher of the two brothers. Now, the original plan was for one of the Guardians (likely Yamamoto) to drive them there and return later to pick them up, but Tsuna had abused every single card he had; begging and bribing and making deals and pulling rank ―all for the sake of _'saving his poor little driving license from suffocating to death' _(according to him). The Guardians were reluctant, considering how long it has been since Tsuna drove, after all, but a word from Reborn and they gave in quickly. (Tsuna could have_ kissed _his tutor for his help, but he'd rather not get shot in return.)

And so here they are; driving their way to the Cavallone Famiglia estate on the other side of town. Fortunately, years of not driving has yet to make Tsuna rusty (though having his tutor in the passenger seat probably helped greatly); Reborn didn't need to cling on to the handles for near life, and neither was Leon turning gree ―well, _greener _from Tsuna's driving.

"So, how was the check-up?" Tsuna asked. "And, uhh, how old are supposed to be now?"

"Check-up went fine." Reborn replied, resting an elbow on the edge of the car window languidly. "According to Verde, sixteen."

"…That's… _young_." Tsuna cringed.

It has been ten years since the end of the Arcobaleno Representative Battle ―ten years since the breaking of the Arcobaleno Curse. The Arcobaleno all thought that they would have to spend decades before they finally grew back into their original bodies, but that wasn't entirely so. The Arcobaleno, cursed to be in two-year-infants' bodies, grew up 'normally' for the next eight years until they were all physically-aged ten. From there, in the next two years, they experienced random growth spurts, ranging from growing two-years-physically in one year; to even five-years-physically in one year. Verde, the residential scientist, had researched into this for the past two years, but had made neither heads nor tails of their random growth spurt. Yuni, on the other hand, hypothesized that the Tri-ni-Sette was attempting to help the Arcobaleno return to their true forms sooner and, after the three Skies of the Tri-ni-Sette had discussed it over (with Tsuna consulting both Talbot and Vongola Primo), decided that that was likely the case.

For the past two years, the Arcobaleno frequently visited Verde for check-ups (by order of the Arcobaleno Boss), both to check if the growth spurts had damaged their bodies in anyway and to make some notes on how fast they were growing. Needless to say, Verde was having a field day with all the data he was collecting, and the other Arcobaleno all wisely decided to stay away unless it was time for their check-ups.

"I can still kick your ass. Effortlessly." Reborn said conversationally.

"_That's _what I'm afraid of." Tsuna winced. "How old are the others, by the way? Besides Yuni, I mean."

Reborn shifted a little in his seat, almost as though he was reluctant to answer, but the hitman did eventually. "Skull-the-lackey is only thirteen, Colonello is fifteen, Lal and Fon are both eighteen and Verde is twenty. Viper's age is unknown ―probably bribed Verde into keeping his mouth shut."

Tsuna quietly drove for a while as he digested the information. Then, as expected, he broke out laughing. "So… Colonello is _still _younger than Lal… and… and…" Tsuna giggled furiously, "Reborn… you're… younger than _Lal_?!"

Reborn growled as Leon helpfully turned into his handy gun.

"Shoot the driver and we crash, Reborn~" Tsuna quipped playfully.

Leon swiftly turned into the One-Ton Mallet instead and Reborn whacked Tsuna over the head with it, smirking when Tsuna yelped in pain. The brunette pouted as he lifted one hand off the steering wheel to rub his abused head. As if in apology though, Leon turned back into its chameleon form and crept along Reborn's still-outstretched arm until it landed on Tsuna's shoulder. Purring softly, Leon stuck out his tongue and gently licked Tsuna's cheeks, making the brunette giggle at the touch. Reborn sighed exasperatedly at his partner's antics and decided to let them be ―he knew Leon had an affection for his student, after all. Settling into his seat comfortably, Reborn let his sight settle on the window as he watched the scenery pass with a keen eye.

They were only into the better part of the first half-an-hour of the journey when disaster struck.

With loud bangs, the tires burst on the left side of the car. Tsuna growled and slammed his hand on the steering wheel as the car stumbled to a stop. "Can't I go one day without anyone trying to kill me?!"

"You're Vongola Decimo, arguable the most powerful man in the Mafia; what do you think?" Reborn snapped back. Twin grunts were let out when the car was shot three more times, two of them on the hood of the car. With all his keen senses as a hitman, Reborn easily caught a glance of the bullet and obsidian eyes widened. "Those are Storm bullets! Get out!"

Tsuna's eyes were blown wide open by his tutor's words. It was only with special effects that cars exploded when being shot by bullets in movies or dramas, but with the help of a Storm bullet, which had the ability of _Disintegration_, the bullet could easily break down the gas tank, opening it up to external sparks ―which basically meant the car was going to blow. Tsuna quickly threw the car door open and stumbled out. Reborn, being much more nimble, had gotten out a step earlier and had rounded the car to Tsuna's side with his own gun his hand (since Leon was still sitting on Tsuna's shoulder). Tsuna's eyes narrowed when he found themselves surrounded by two dozen more assailants on the other side. He was about to slip into Hyper Dying Will mode when it hit him.

"My gloves! They're in the glove compartment!"

Reborn cursed his younger body momentarily as he actually needed to use all of his strength to hold Tsuna back. "Your gloves are flame-resistant! They'll survive the explosion!" The hitman grunted as he slammed them to the ground. "Now, stay _down_!"

Tsuna winced when he saw the car explode in front of his eyes. A small part of his mind registered the fact that the car was yet another damage he would need to take care of, but his Hyper Intuition kindly reminded him of all the gunshots and all the various Box Weapons around them ―it was only with Leon's Reflect Mirror mode that the two were still unscathed. With a snarl, Tsuna slipped into his Hyper Dying Will mode, his eyes burning a bright amber as he glared at the two dozen or so assailants as his eyes took in their surroundings at the same time.

The car was shot down near a cliff, the road being about two kilometers off a rusty-railing-guarded cliff. The other side of the road was lined with the thick forest since the road they were travelling on _was _on the outer edge of the forest. With the car currently burning to scrap, the duo was pretty much left in the middle of nowhere with a minimum of twenty-over assailants.

By then, both of them had gotten off the ground, Reborn shooting down assailants with deadly accuracy as Tsuna knocked out the others. The hitman was scowling in annoyance since his freedom to shoot was restricted with Tsuna flying all over the place. Said brunette, however, was making good use of the open air as he zipped around, dodging bullets with the help of his Hyper Intuition, and knocking the various Box Weapons out of the assailants' hands. He swiftly froze any and all of the Dying Will Flame Boots, letting their user fall to the ground in heaps. Tsuna froze in midair as his Hyper Intuition grabbed for his attention _desperately_. Molten amber hurriedly looked around for the source of the alarm and, finally finding it, flames flared painfully as Tsuna sped towards the grounded Reborn, just in time to block off two shots coming from the forest.

"Reborn. Snipers. Three of them." Tsuna gasped out.

The hitman turned around and faced the forest without a shred of hesitation as Tsuna spun around, pressing their backs together as he glared at the remaining assailants.

"Your hands?" Reborn asked urgently.

"It's fine." Tsuna bit out.

"Fine for how long?" Reborn growled. The hitman yielded his own gun in one hand while Leon transformed into a second gun in his free hand. Reborn took shots at the forest as Tsuna moved around behind him.

"…Seven minutes to first-degree, nine to second, and ten minutes to third-degree." Tsuna answered as he knocked out another assailant, dodging a flame attack at the last moment with a twist of his body. Natsu had long since summoned itself and was roaring at any attack coming at its master's back. "Reborn."

The raven tucked away his gun wordlessly as Leon transformed into a sniper instead. Reborn aimed at the forest without worry ―he had absolute faith in Tsuna to watch his back.

Tsuna snuck glances at the forest as he rattled out, "20.7° West, 44.5° above horizontal―" _First one. _"―34.8° East, 37.9° above horizontal―" _Second one. _"―and… 56.3° above horizontal…!"

Reborn smirked when he heard three satisfying thuds coming from the forest. "You can tell Spanner that project was a success, Tsuna." Reborn called out as Leon turned back into a gun.

"I'll make a note…" Tsuna gasped out breathlessly.

He was covered in sweat now; the pain was getting unbearable. Tsuna grunted softly to himself as he pushed himself further. He couldn't stop until they're safe and the only way that is possible was to get rid of all the assailants. He told himself that it wasn't going to be long now… only half a dozen more. Reborn's shots were starting to sound louder for some reason ―it was as though the hitman was getting desperate. _That's silly_, he told himself. _Reborn doesn't panic. Ever. _He nodded to himself. And suddenly, out of nowhere, his thoughts screeched to a stop when twin pangs of pain shot through his entire body; one from the right side of his neck, the other from the left side of his lower chest. _Reborn doesn't panic… _Tsuna thought. The combination of all the pain forcefully pushed him out of Hyper Dying Will mode. The wind roared about him as the scenery spun.

_Reborn doesn't panic… I do._

* * *

Reborn's eyes widened impossibly when he saw his student fall from the skies… _beyond the edge of the cliff._

With a snarl, he yanked out his other gun and fired mercilessly at the remaining four assailants, hitting each of them in the heart without fail with an additional bullet in their chests in his anger. Without even thinking about it, Reborn ran towards the edge of the cliff and jumped over the edge after Tsuna. Obsidian eyes narrowed as they found the falling brunette easily. Reborn grunted as he pressed an arm to his side, while other arm reached out in front of him in an attempt to gain speed. His precious fedora had flew off a few seconds ago, but he couldn't be bothered with it at the moment; he'll come to mourn for its loss later, but right now, nothing is more important than getting to his student.

Reborn narrowed his eyes against the wind slapping against his skin as he anxiously watched the distance between him and Tsuna shorten. The brunette had spread out his limbs horizontally to slow himself down somewhat and was reaching out a hand for Reborn. Chocolate brown eyes darkened and narrowed as Tsuna cursed Reborn for his stupidity, despite a small part of him being glad that his tutor had came after him without hesitation. Almost like a scene out of a movie, their hands reached out for each other. As soon as the tips of their hands touched, Reborn stretched his arm even further and grabbed Tsuna's wrist in a painfully tight grip as he yanked Tsuna toward him, wrapping his arms around the brunette protectively. Reborn quickly maneuvered him in mid-air, turning them around so that he was on the bottom as Leon crept onto Tsuna's back and turned into a parachute.

The duo did slow down, but not by much as the combined weight of a teen and a fully-grown adult was much more than what the chameleon could support. Reborn grunted as his back slammed against layers after layers of leaves and branches as they crashed through the forest below. Tsuna gritted his teeth as he wrapped an arm around Reborn's waist, outstretching his free arm below them. The brunette dare not squeeze his eyes shut despite the immerse pain that shot up his arm from the hard flames flaring from his outstretched hand. They slowed down further but the ground was still rapidly approaching. In the last few moments before they crashed, Tsuna retracted his hand and slammed it behind Reborn's head and―

* * *

Gokudera was certain that he would have put in hole in the car by the time they arrived at their destination, what with the amount of pressure he was putting on the accelerator. Emerald eyes were glancing frantically between the PDA sitting in a stand next to the steering wheel and the rapidly passing scenery beyond the windshield.

It was nearly two hours ago when their Boss headed out with Reborn. It was an hour ago when Dino called Gokudera up, inquiring about Tsuna, who had yet to arrive at the Cavallone estate. It was also an hour ago when the Guardians made countless of calls to both Tsuna and Reborn with none of their calls getting through. It was after a grueling and painfully slow thirty-seven minutes and forty-eight seconds later did Spanner finally track down the last place the flame signatures of the duo were active. It was another seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds later that four of the older Guardians ―Storm, Rain, Sun and Cloud― cramped together in the first car they could get their hands on, speeding towards the aforementioned location while the two Mist Guardians and the youngest Lightning Guardian stayed behind to guard the Vongola estate.

The car was thick with tension as the Guardians kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary as Gokudera drove them to the location. All was quiet ―no one was talking; the radio was turned off… the car was silent if not for the soft rumble of the engines and the crackling sound of the tires travelling over the rocky roads. It was about a quarter of an hour later before Yamamoto, sitting in the front passage seat, nearly jumped upright (if not for the seatbelt holding back) and shouted, "Look over there! A car wreck!"

Gokudera slammed his feet onto the breaks harshly and the four rushed out over to the aforementioned car wreck. The car was burned to a crisp, but the car plate was still visible. The Guardians noted with a horrible feeling in their stomachs that the car plate matched the one that Tsuna had taken out hours ago. The Guardians split up wordlessly, Yamamoto going to check out the wreckage while the others investigated the… _carnage _around them.

"…Over half of them are dead." Gokudera murmured. "All those that are dead are killed by a single gunshot to the heart. Any additional shots are probably just extra."

"Anyone who is not shot is knocked out." Ryohei continued.

"The _akanbo _and Sawada Tsunayoshi." Hibari remarked.

"Definitely." Gokudera nodded to himself. "There are about, what, two dozen of them here?"

"So they were am―"

"―Guys, look!" Yamamoto interrupted, backing up from where he was examining the interior of the car. He turned around and held a familiar pair of mittens out on his hand. "This… This is definitely Tsuna's gloves…! If his gloves are in there, then―"

"―No, we've determined that all this," Gokudera gestured to the bodies littering the area, "…was the work of Jyuudaime and Reborn-san."

"That's not good." Ryohei frowned. The Guardians turned to him in confusion. "Sawada fought right? Without his gloves. That means that he was using his Dying Will flames barehanded. Depending on how long he used it, he'd be burned!"

"…I… don't think that's the real problem here." Yamamoto started slowly. As the attention was gathered on him this time, Yamamoto spoke, "If… If Tsuna's car is here, wrecked and burned to a crisp, and their ambushers are, presumably, all here," He gestured to the open area beyond the car, "…then… _where _areTsuna and Reborn?"

Gokudera's eyes widened. He ran back to their own car and pulled his PDA from the dashboard stand, checking the location Spanner gave them earlier. "We're at the right place. We just have to go about… 3.7 kilometers to the right. _My _right."

"…Gokudera." Ryohei's voice was tensed. "Are you… reading that right?"

"Yeah. Spanner gave us the coordinates and I'm reading off the PDA directly." Gokudera answered. "Why?"

"Because," Hibari was, surprisingly, the one who spoke up. "3.7 kilometers to your right would be beyond the edge of the cliff, herbivore."

Ryohei jogged over to the precariously-looking railings and glanced over the edge before jogging back, reporting, "There's more forest over the edge. That railing isn't very secure; it's pretty rusted and weak. There was a bit of a bend there, like someone used it for a support or something." He swallowed, "…You don't think… they're really down there?"

"They have to be." Gokudera said grimly. "It… wasn't just their flame signature. Jyuudaime's headphones had trackers in them, and the tracker's last signal matched where Jyuudaime's flame signature last appeared. They're… down there." The silverette glanced out over the horizon. Gokudera grimaced; if it weren't for the situation they were in, he might even be quietly admiring the view. As it is, however, they didn't have any time to waste. "Come on. Let's get down there."

"Umm… How, exactly, are we supposed to do that?" Yamamoto asked. "We don't even know if there's a road going down there."

"We're taking a short-cut." Gokudera answered. "Follow me."

Gokudera tucked the PDA into his pocket as he walked towards the edge of the cliff, slowly breaking into a run. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Hibari standing still as a little yellow bird flew in from a distance. A nod from the Cloud Guardian was all Gokudera needed to know that Hibari would be taking care of all the bodies on the cliff, dead _and_ alive. He caught the sound of two more sets of footsteps running behind him. It barely took any time for the trio to reach the edge of the cliff and Gokudera threw himself over the edge without hesitation. There were two shouts of confusion before the sound of the rusty railing croaking followed. Gokudera smirked and his Buckle of the Storm glowed as he summoned three Storm Shields in bursts of bright-red Storm flames. The three Guardians landed smoothly on a shield each, and Gokudera took off.

They descended slowly.

As much as Gokudera wanted to reach the bottom of the cliff and the floor of the forest, he'd rather not risk anyone slipping off because of the speed ―he himself had quite an experience of that when he first got the Storm Shields, and it was _not _a fun experience. As with the car ride, the trio was silent, each quietly preparing themselves for what they would see when they reached their destination. Falling from a cliff this high was not something to joke about. Even if Tsuna's true specialty was mid-air combat ―and, therefore, _flight_; without his gloves, it was unlikely that they would have landed safely below.

"Gokudera, wait." Yamamoto called out. As the Storm Guardian glanced over with an irritated scowl, Yamamoto pointed out to an object he spotted in the distance. With widened emerald orbs, Gokudera steered the Storm Shield Yamamoto was on towards said object, and the Rain Guardian picked it up with shaking hands. "It's…"

"…Reborn-san's… fedora…" Gokudera felt his throat tightened. "…Hold on to that, Take― Baseball Idiot."

Yamamoto caught the slip-up but said nothing about it. Even if they were only merely forcing themselves to act normal, it was much better than them breaking down in panic. Yamamoto tightened his grip on the precious fedora, and the trio descended once more.

They slowed down even more when they reached emergent layer of the forest. Even with them gently prying the branches and leaves apart when they passed, the Guardians still got some faint cuts here and there, though those were all ignored in favored of reaching the forest ground. It was agonizingly slow how long it took for them to reach the forest floor, but when they reached, a part of them almost didn't want to be there at all.

"Jyuudaime… Reborn-san…"

Surrounded by all the broken branches and twigs were the two people the Guardians searched for frantically. Tsuna lay on top of Reborn, whose arms were still wrapped tightly and protectively around his student. Tsuna had an arm wrapped around Reborn's waist in return, while his left hand was resting underneath Reborn's messy black locks. Their suits were all torn in various places, cut by the forest on their way down. Neither of them was breathing very well and both of their faces frozen with pain. On Tsuna's back, Leon was asleep; the green little chameleon looking a little scratched up as well.

Ryohei, being the trained and certified medic, was the first to snap out of his shock-induced daze as he ran over to the fallen duo, clouded grey eyes taking in as much as they could. His mind snapped into action as Ryohei quickly analyzed the two's injuries. Gokudera and Yamamoto snapped out of their own daze as they ran over to Ryohei quietly, letting the Sun Guardian do his job. Ryohei barely noticed his fellow Guardians ―he was rattling off everything he could see and anything that he deduced.

"Arms. Both arms fractured, if not broken. Hand definitely broken. Both hands burned; left hand second-degree, right-hand first. Breathing steady but not even; possible cracked ribs? Bruising a definite. Possible concussion."

Ryohei turned to Gokudera suddenly, tossing the Storm Guardian a small yellow pill. Recognizing it as Sun pill, Gokudera quickly swallowed it despite being in confusion as to _why _he needed it. Ryohei answered that question immediately after, "They're scratched up from the fall and definitely broke some bones, though I can't tell where like this. We can't jostle them too much in case we injure them further. We need to fly them back on your Storm Shields." When Gokudera was still staring blankly at him, Ryohei growled, "_MOVE IT_! What are you waiting for?!"

Gokudera jerked upright as he hastily summoned over two Storm Shields out of the three present. It took some time, but they finally managed to pry off Reborn's tight grip on Tsuna and gently move the unconscious brunette onto a Storm Shield. With Reborn no longer holding on to Tsuna with an iron grip, the hitman was easily moved to a separate Storm Shield, his fedora placed on his chest while Leon rested on its brim.

When they finally got back up, the cliff was already surrounded by the Foundation, who were working on tying up the knocked-out assailants. With a word to Hibari that they were heading back first, they were off, flying as fast as possible back to the Vongola estate. With the wind howling around them, the two Guardians could barely make out what Ryohei was saying on the phone that he fished out as soon as they were high enough to get reception. Gokudera and Yamamoto shrugged; Ryohei was likely giving orders for the Sun division to prepare themselves for the two wounded on the way back. Glancing down at Tsuna and Reborn respectively, the Storm and Rain Guardian each gave a silent prayer in their mind as they raced back to the Vongola estate.

And the rest of the journey back was nothing more than a blur.

* * *

When the hitman woke up feeling rather painless, he knew they had been rescued.

Despite knowing that they were now safe, Reborn decided to keep his eyes closed for a while longer as he let his senses take in everything that they could ―just in case there is an entirely different reason why he wasn't feeling any pain after jumping off a cliff after his student in a decidedly stupid move. (Boy, was anyone _ever _going to let him live it down?)

One of the few things that Reborn immediately caught was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. Listening closer, he could make out the faint dripping of the IV nearby. There were a few other people in the room, but they were not crowded around him. The fact that there was another set of beeping that was out of step with his told Reborn that there was someone else staying in the room with him ―Tsuna, most likely.

Reborn could have sighed in relief at that revelation.

In any case, Tsuna was awake, if the sound of his breathing was any indication. It sounded a little shaky and Reborn nearly frowned at that. Perhaps his student's lungs were damaged from the fall? The other people were all crowding around Tsuna's bed; about four of them. One of them was talking ―Ryohei, by the sounds of it. Since none of the others were talking and Reborn caught the sounds of things shuffling about, the hitman could only assume that the others were likely medics from the Sun division ―and _more importantly_, Tsuna's machines were being removed. Sure enough, only one set of beeping remained; the one belonging to _him_. And then Reborn heard it.

―Tsuna's voice.

"How much longer are you going to pretend that you're asleep, Reborn?"

_Ah. Caught. Not bad._

Reborn gingerly cracked an eye open, and nearly choked on the air he was breathing when he tried to hum in satisfaction at the darkened room. How did he miss the fact that he was _on oxygen_? (Did he hurt his lungs too? He didn't know; not with all the painkillers he was likely on.) Reborn grumbled softly and blinked owlishly at the ceiling. Finally clearing the sleep from his eyes, Reborn turned to glance at his student and grimaced.

Tsuna was sitting upright in bed, with the covers pooling around his waist. Tsuna was wearing a short-sleeved version of the hospital pyjamas and Reborn could see why. Both of Tsuna's arms were wrapped up in a thick white cast while his hands were both wrapped up delicately in thick white bandages, making him look like some sort of a mummy at the moment. Reborn glanced between Tsuna and Ryohei inquisitively.

The brunette sighed and slipped a leg over the edge of the bed.

"Sawada…" Ryohei warned.

"It's fine. I'm feeling much more better already." Tsuna would have waved him off if he could. "Now, are you going to help me or let me walk on my own?"

Ryohei sighed and grumbled something about, _"who's the medic here…?" _as he moved over to help Tsuna off the bed. He reached out to grab the IV stand from the other side of the bed and rolled it over as Ryohei supported Tsuna over to the chair beside Reborn's bed. "I'll, uhh… Come back and check on him later. In the meantime, don't take the mask off." Ryohei said, staring firmly at Reborn.

Tsuna chuckled and nodded, jerking his head towards the door. Ryohei harshly ruffled Tsuna's gravity-defying hair before heading out. As soon as the footsteps faded, Reborn yanked the oxygen mask off his face in a rather defiant manner, earning himself a roll of the eyes from his student.

"Your arms?" Reborn asked, once he got used to breathing normal air again.

"Umm… Fractured both of my arms. The fracture in my right arm is worse, though. Ryo said I'll recover, but it'll take a long time for complete recovery; about a month for the left one and minimally two months for my right arm." Tsuna answered, shifting a little in his seat nervously. "And my hands were burned. My right hand is only suffering a first-degree burn. Left hand burned up to second-degree and, uhh… I… broke my left hand a little."

"Anything else?" Reborn questioned.

"My ribs are a little bruised; that'll take about three to four weeks to heal." Tsuna replied.

Reborn hummed as he nodded. The recovery period was certainly long, but with some TLC and physical therapy, Tsuna would make as close as a complete recovery as possible. There would be a need to retrain his arms again, but that would come at a later date. As he glanced back at Tsuna, he found the brunette staring at him with an intense gaze. With a quirk of an eyebrow, Reborn asked, "So then. I'm guessing you know about my injuries?"

"I woke up two days earlier. We've been in here for three days now." Tsuna said quietly. "You've got a mild concussion ―that's about healed now, according to Ryo. You also sprained your spine from the impact; Ryohei will be taking care of your physical therapy for that personally. And lastly, you broke one of your ribs, grazing your lung ―hence the oxygen mask. Other than those… hairline fractures on your collar bone… and that's about it."

Reborn nodded again, mentally analyzing his own damages. If his lungs were grazed, that certainly explained why he had an oxygen mask but Tsuna didn't. It also meant that he would be under observation for a tad longer ―certainly annoying, but better than the alternative. The sprained spine would be the area for most concern; thankfully, he was physically-aged sixteen, and the young body would be an advantage, compared to if he was in his true body. Reborn grimaced; he didn't know whose injures were worse ―his or Tsuna's. The hitman sighed as he turned back to Tsuna, only to find his student staring at him again, this time with a blank look in his eyes instead.

Speaking of his student, Tsuna's actions had been bugging him for a while now. The brunette was… _too quiet_. He'd expected his student to fret endlessly over him, but until now, he had barely said anything except to explain their damages. Reborn's eyes narrowed slightly as he called out to the brunette, "Tsuna."

Tsuna nearly jerked awake when his name was called.

Reborn's eyes didn't narrow any further. Instead, obsidian orbs softened as Reborn said quietly, "…Talk to me."

"A-About what?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn didn't answer; his eyes clearly saying, _'You know what'_. Tsuna sighed and shifted again in his seat, the IV stand rattling a little by his actions. "…Tsuna." Reborn murmured.

"…I…" Tsuna's gaze fell to his lap. "…I thought you'd died."

Reborn's eyebrows lifted, but he still didn't say anything, allowing Tsuna to quietly sort out his thoughts and speak.

"W-When I woke up yesterday… I was still pumped up on painkillers and anesthetic. I was… kind of in and out of it, according to Ryo. And… somewhere along the way… I lost sight of what was real and what was a dream. I… I kept dreaming that… that you were gone." Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut as he continued, "I… I keep seeing us back at the forest… Only… Only this time… I was covered in blood. Y-Your… _your _blood…" He swallowed, the bile rising in his throat. "You… We didn't… I mean… You fel―"

Tsuna was abruptly cut off by a slap to his face. He cried out in pain, unable to nurse his burning cheek with his hands all wrapped up in bandages. Reborn stared at him, his hand still poised in the after-slap.

"…Awake yet?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna's eyes widened.

Reborn reached out with the same hand he slapped Tsuna with and gently grasped the brunette's right hand. Slowly, he placed the hand right over his heart. "Feel that?"

Tsuna nodded numbly.

"Heart monitor. Hear that?"

Tsuna nodded again.

"Convinced that I'm alive yet?"

Tsuna nodded once more, his eyes brimming with tears. Reborn sighed and gently pulled Tsuna into a hug. It was a little awkward, since both of Tsuna's arms were covered in casts and Reborn can't really move from the bed, given his sprained spine, but it worked nevertheless. Tsuna wailed in Reborn's arm like a child, and the hitman decided he would let the brunette be for the moment.

"Re… Reborn…?" Tsuna sniffled as he settled in his seat again. "Are you afraid of anything?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Reborn arched an eyebrow.

"A perfectly valid one." Tsuna replied cheekily.

Reborn grumbled but did not whack the brunette as Tsuna expected. "I'm afraid of something. One thing." Reborn answered. "It's not death, if you're wondering. I'm sure you know that by now."

Tsuna nodded; the events of the Arcobaleno Representative Battle still clear in his mind. "Just _one _thing? What's that?"

"_That_, is for me to know, and for you to never find out." Reborn replied.

Tsuna pouted and widened his eyes in his best puppy-dog look, but Reborn still didn't give in; only glaring at his student with a look that said, _'I-will-slap-you-again-if-you-do-not-get-that-look-off-your-face-in-the-next-five-seconds'_. Tsuna wisely did so.

"Reborn?" Tsuna called again. "…Thank you for saving me."

Reborn finally pulled on his trademark smirk for the first time that day, "Since you still need me to save you, that means you need more training, right?"

"Ahh!" Tsuna's mouth fell open. "T-That's not fair! I'm injured!"

"Who says it has to be now? I have a perfect memory." Reborn retorted.

* * *

Ryohei stepped back into the same private ward an hour later to find an interesting side awaiting him. **  
**

Squeezed together on the same bed was teacher and student; Tsuna's head resting on the crook of Reborn's shoulder while the rest of his body was laying beside the hitman's. Reborn had an arm wrapped around Tsuna's body, his face buried in those fluffy brown-locks. A precious, rare and _loving _smile was graced Reborn's lips while Tsuna, too, was smiling that warm smile that was brighter than the Sun itself.

Ryohei smiled. Even if he was a little annoyed with Reborn for ripping off the oxygen mask anyway, this scene certainly made up for it. Deciding to let the the tutor-and-student pair be, he quietly backtracked out of the private ward, soundlessly closing the door behind him.

Back in the room, Tsuna snuggled just a tad closer to Reborn, an even brighter smile blooming on his face when he subconsciously felt the arm holding him even more tightly.

'_Reborn… Despite being the shadow of the Vongola Famiglia, you were the one who brought light into my life. Without you, I wouldn't have met my friends and family. Thank you, Reborn. You're my tutor, mentor and lifelong friend. So please, don't leave me, okay? This idiot student of yours… can't bear to graduate just yet.'_

* * *

A/N: Here we go! The last chapter of _gyaaahhhh! _*hides behind full-length shield* Eek! I'm sorry this took so long! But it was a thorough mess last week! It was Chinese New Year (Happy CNY to everyone who celebrates it, by the way. It's still within CNY, so I'm not considered late~) and Valentine's Day in the same week! And since I was preparing for the Valentine's Day fics, I couldn't work on this!

_ANYWAYS_!

**First of all**, many thanks to **_Tiger723 _**for suggesting a Reborn chapter. To everyone who was looking forward to this, I hope I didn't disappoint you with Reborn's method of injury. It's not too lame, I hope. :x

**Second**, big credits to **_Lightning515 _**for beta-ing this chapter _and _suggesting that nice little fluffy scene you guys saw at the end there! I didn't really know how to end it and she suggested that Reborn and Tsuna should cuddle and snuggle together. She helped pointed out stupid mistakes of mine, so this chapter is less terrible than before. (Apparently, at one point in time, I actually typed 'estate' as 'etstate'. *facepalms*) Also, she helped me decide on Reborn's 'tagline' for the chapter. With all the previous chapters, I used the Guardians' duty, but Reborn being an Arcobaleno had no such line. So I took the Sun Guardian's one and wrote one for Reborn based on that. I think we came up with, like, _five _variation of that line above before we finally decided on that one...

**Third**! Questions! I'm sure you guys have at least one burning question right now and that is: _What is Reborn's fear? _Or, as the fic puts it, _What is the one thing that Reborn is a__fraid of_? Well. This is just what I thought of (just like all the other 'fears' of the Guardians). I believe that Reborn is afraid of losing Tsuna/Tsuna dying. As mentioned earlier, in the Curse of the Rainbow Arc, Reborn wasn't too concerned that that Arcobaleno would die; plus, being a hitman himself, I believe that Reborn really doesn't fear death ―at least, _his _own death. On the other hand, Tsuna has to be a very important person to Reborn. He brought Tsuna up, watching him grow from a clumsy, useless kid to a well-liked and respectable Boss. Sure, you could argue that this is the same with Dino, but you also have to admit that despite so, Reborn is definitely closer to Tsuna than he is to Dino. Tsuna took on everything for Reborn in the Curse of the Rainbow Arc ―I think that was the biggest proof of their relationship. I don't see it too much of a stretch that Tsuna has become that important to Reborn; important enough for Reborn to fear losing him.

Again, as with Ryohei, I couldn't really think of a fear for Reborn (I mentioned it above but didn't mention it in the fic itself), so it turned out to be more of a comfort-Tsuna kind of thing. But then again, given their relationship (Big-Brother Ryohei and Tutor-Reborn respectively), I thought that comforting Tsuna seems more appropriate. Anywho, happy ending for everyone! Except...

Well. This is it. The last and final chapter of _6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured_. This project was first published on the 22nd December, 2012, and so it has been about 2 months since that day! After 2 months, I hereby announce that this project is _completed_! I must admit, I really enjoyed this project a lot. Thank you wonderful peeps for following this project through to the end. Cookies for all who favorited and followed this fic. Mini-Tsuna plushies for all you wonderful reviewers out there. Thank you! *bows*

_Now_. **One last thing.**

I am shamelessly advertising here, but I have another project coming up soon. It's something like _6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured_; a series of sort-of-related-but-not-so-related-one-shots.

The title will be called, "_Cambio Forma: The Origin_".

Based on the first Cambio Forma (the ones we saw in the Future Arc), it's a project where the cambio forma's origins would be written about. If you'd remember, back in the Future Arc, we always had a little story that accompanied the Cambio Forma. Like, Asari giving up his flute for his swords; Knuckle giving himself three minutes to protect his Family, etc. "_Cambio Forma: The Origin_" will be about all those back-stories. There will be a total of 8 chapters for that one; it'll be following the order of appearance of the Cambio Forma.

Look forward to it, peeps!

Once again, thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows! That's the end of _6 Times the Guardians Came Back Injured_! Ciao Ciao~


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